Forward Motion
by Romanticdude
Summary: Sequel to Anything for You, taking place before and during the 12 year time skip in the epilogue. Inspired by a song of a similar title and readers who asked. Love and loss. Peace and war. OC x Kankuro, OC x OC, Hinata x Temari, Gaara x OC. Remember to leave a review so I can hopefully better my content.
1. Chapter 1 : Forward Motion

_**Forward Motion**_

"That fucking idiot!" Kankuro exclaimed as he and Gaara went over possible scenarios in their heads. "She's going to get herself and Hinata-chan killed. She has no brain whatsoever! It pisses me off!"

Gaara smiled under his fingers which were folded above his nose. "Maybe," said Gaara, "she wants us to see her strength as a kunoichi and not just our sister. Kankuro-kun, I need a favor of you."

"Yes, Gaara-kun?" Kankuro asked, eyes narrowing as they fell upon Gaara, as if trying to read him. "What is it?"

"Shikamaru-kun, you know him well, do you not?" Gaara asked reciprocating his brothers interrogating stare. Neither would blink anytime soon. This was a normal occurrence, but normally it was over how

Kankuro would place and make use of his Ninja troops, not who knows who the best. This was certainly different, but old habits die hard.

"Yeah, why? Do you have a plan to get Temari-chan out of trouble?" Kankuro asked, hopeful.

"Yes, I may, but we need Shikamaru-kun." Gaara said stonily. "He is leader of the Konohagakure ANBU, is he not?"

"He is." Kankuro stated before he heard the door creek. He turned on his heel with that same cold look, only to have it soften when he saw tiny Rin in the doorway.

"Gaara-ue, I am so very sorry to interrupt, however, Kankuro-kun said he would take me home when you were done, and it is almost 23:00. My mom will be very upset with me if I do not get home soon." Rin spoke softly, as if she were whispering. Her cute little emerald eyes scanned over the entire room, stopping especially long on Kankuro.

"Is this true, Kankuro-kun?" Gaara asked, his words indicated he clearly thought his brother's intentions were anything but noble. Kankuro may be the same age as Gaara, but he liked teenage girls, and Rin fit that bill, hook, line, and sinker.

"She needs someone to take her home," Kankuro shrugged in that 'I don't know what you're talking about' way.

Rin smiled when Kankuro moved toward her dropping his puppet on the floor. He lowered himself to his knees and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Kankuro then stood up and Rin blushed when she felt Kankuro's hands wrap under her bottom.

"Kankuro-kun," Gaara said waiting for his brother to look at him. "Don not do anything foolish."

Kankuro smiled knowingly soaring out the open window, jumping building to building, and Gaara watched them go. "I swear, I am the only one of us who has any sort of dignity or brains around here." Gaara muttered as he watched the pair fly off into the blackness of the night "It will be troubling if he does anything fool-hearty. Oh well, what will be done is out of my control now. Just remember, Kankuro-kun, she is still innocent."

"Rin-chan!" Kankuro called over the sound of the wind whipping at his ears. "Would you like to feel good?" He smiled when he felt her breath on the back of his neck. Holding her tighter, he jumped higher and higher, sending them rocketing to the night sky and plummeting to the roof of another building as they drove through the increasing shadows.

Looking up at the blackened sky, Kankuro could see the stars, like a dark blanket littered with glitter. It was rare to see something so perfect.

"Woah!" exclaimed Rin when Kankuro increased his Chakra output and began jumping higher, and higher. "It feels like I am flying Kankuro-kun!" Rin cheered as the wind flew around her.

"Feels nice, doesn't it?" Kankuro asked hopping even higher. "It feels like you are free of the world, like nothings weighing you down anymore."

Rin smiled. "Yes, Kankuro-kun, it does."

"Let us go higher then, Rin-chan!" Kankuro called forcing as much Chakra as he could to the bottom of his feet and hit the rooftop, taking off like a rocket into the air, and as Rin looked around she could have sworn they were parallel with the great big moon.

When Rin looked down she could see all of Sunagakure, and my, did it look so small! She saw people who looked like ants, buildings looking as though they were made from a small child's toys, carts and merchants. It was all so small from up here. Then Rin realized. They were not falling. They had stopped in mid-air, or so it had seemed.

She looked around and realized they were on top of the only tower in all of Sunagakure that was larger than the Kazekage mansion. "Kankuro-kun, why are we up here?" She asked clinging to him for dear life. It was a long way down if she were to fall.

"It is peaceful, Rin-chan, is it not? No parents yelling at you, no siblings fighting with you, no hustle or bustle of the large city, just peace and quiet." Kankuro said as he sat on the roof allowing Rin to sit beside him.

"Yeah," Said Rin as she stared into Kankuro's dark eyes and his bore into her bright ones. "It is peaceful, Kankuro-kun." Rin was through hiding how she truly felt. No matter it be a great sin, she no longer cared. The way Kankuro was staring at her, it was amazing. She threw all her cares to the wind and pressed her lips to his, kissing him fiercely.

Kankuro, shocked by how Rin was acting, pulled away from the kiss. "RIN-CHAN? What the hell…"

"I love you, Kankuro-kun." Rin nearly whimpered. She knew he could never love her, for they were only 3 years apart, but he could never love her the way she loved him. He was royalty. He was the Kazekage's older brother, Rin was just a commoner, but she did not care, and she wished he could reciprocate her feelings. "I want to be yours, and only yours. I do not want anyone other than you, please accept me and my feelings…"

Kankuro drank in her appearance. She looked so beautiful. Her fiery red hair, her emerald eyes, her small yet developed body. She was truly a sight to behold, but Kankuro had things on the brain other than just 'low and behold'. He crashed his lips to hers tightly wrapping his arms around her body. "I love you too, Rin-chan."

 _xXx_

 _Gaara sat in his quarters alone, doing everything in his power to not give in to the weary ache that plagued his bones. How long had it been since he last slept? A few days? A week? He couldn't remember as the one tailed bijuu housed deep within his body stirred. He couldn't afford rest. If he were to close his eyes and fall into a slumber the Shukaku inside him would undoubtedly break from its prison and put Sunagakure at risk. Gaara would not allow that to happen. Rest was the enemy._

 _He slowly opened one of the drawers in his desk, pulling out a picture of a girl with powder blue hair cut in a short hime-style to go along with the sky blue eyes that always seemed to pierce Gaara in a way he could never have imagined. Her pale skin was clad in an over-sized black zip-up hoodie and a tiny black miniskirt as she lay against a tree, reading one of those books she always seemed to keep her nose buried in._

 _He remembered it like it was only yesterday._

 _" _Aki-chan, why do you always waste so much time on those books?" Gaara's voice was as monotone as ever. His crimson hair was jutting out from it's usual spikes as sweat poured from his body. He'd been training hard. "Wouldn't you rather be a Ninja and fight than lie around all day reading about others doing such deeds?"__

 _ _Akiza smiled up from the book she was reading. "Gaara-kun, I am not as you and your siblings are. I wish not for battle, nor adventure, nor any of that foolishness"__

 _ _Gaara was taken aback. Akiza was already an outcast being as she was the only person in the entire village who had absolutely no drive to be a Ninja, but he'd never heard her refer to them as foolish before. "Ninja are great warriors. How dare you call us foolish?"__

 _ _Akiza closed her book, setting it aside before returning to Gaara's gaze with another smile. "I did not call Ninja foolish, Gaara-kun." She explained, meeting his seafoam green eyes with her own blue ones. "I said the drives some people have to becoming a Ninja are foolish. It's something I have no interest in."__

 _" _Oh," Gaara stated attempting to get away from that gaze that haunted his dreams. He had no understanding of why this female had such a unique power over him. It frightened and thrilled him simultaneously. "If not fighting, then where do your interests lie?"__

 _" _I haven't quite figured that out yet. I know the adventuring and fighting lifestyle is not for me, but it seems that in this village, if you are not a Ninja, you aren't anything. People look down on you, curse you, and declare that you bring shame to your families name, although I doubt my family would care at this point..."__

 _ _A tear streamed down Akiza's face as Gaara just stared at her. He understood that empty feeling all too well. When Rin was only five years old, Gaara's father had sent her parents on a mission to Kumogakure to request council with the Raikage. Unfortunately they had arrived there the day the Raikage was assassinated and Akiza's parents had been murdered in the fray. Now she was completely alone, just as Gaara had been before he'd met her. She was possibly the only person in the world he couldn't kill, and could never uncover the reason why.__

 _" _Don't you want to avenge their deaths Aki-chan?" Gaara asked, kneeling next to her, wiping away the tear. "Don't you wish to bring their killer to justice?"__

 _ _Akiza shook her head. "Violence only begets more violence, Gaara-kun. If I were to attempt to avenge them by killing the man who had murdered them, I would be no better than that man, and someone would seek to avenge him by killing me. It's a never ending cycle that I do not wish to be a part of. I'd rather honor their memory by not fighting and simply living my life to the best of my ability."__

 _ _Gaara couldn't understand, but he also didn't understand emotion. He'd lost people, but after his own uncle had attempted to assassinate him, Gaara's only remaining humanity had been lost. He was as empty in his heart as the beast that was imprisoned in him. "Then I'll do it for you," Gaara had no clue why he said that, but it came out as something that wasn't monotone. It was soft, empathetic.__

 _ _Akiza looked at him with confusion. "Wha-what?"__

 _" _I'll do it for you, Aki-chan," Gaara repeated, back to his usual monotone voice. "If I ever cross the man that murdered your parents, I promise you, I'll kill him."__

 _ _Arms flung out and wrapped around Gaara's neck and pulled him as close to Akiza as possible as she openly wept on his shoulder, but Gaara didn't know what to do. He was completely in shock 'Why didn't my sand stop her?' he thought. Anytime some one had tried to touch him, the sand would stop them in their tracks, be here he was with a girl who wasn't even a Ninja embracing him.__

 _ _A strange sensation welled up inside him as he slowly wrapped his arms around Akiza. Something he'd never felt before. He thought hard, coming to the conclusion that it was the fear his sister had told him about many times. Something he'd never experienced until this moment. Not in training, not in battle, not even in war had he been so afraid in his life, yet he had no valid idea as to why.__

 _" _There you are, Gaara-kun." came Temari's voice from close by. "I have been looking around the entire village for you, shoulda known I'd find you with your girlfriend."__

 _ _Akiza quickly jumped out of Gaara's warm embrace and blushed slightly. "I-i-I'm not his girlfriend!" Akiza stammered out as fast as possible.__

 _" _You should know better than that, Temari-chan," Gaara said dryly. "I have no need for such an inconvenience."__

 _ _Akiza stared at Gaara, all traces of the soft, compassionate man that had just embraced her was gone. His cold, steel like exterior had replaced itself now, but through those empty seafoam green eyes she swore she could still see it. Gaara may have been seen by every body else as a merciless killing machine, but Akiza now knew differently. He wasn't merciless, he wasn't cruel. He angry and hurting inside, but would never swallow his pride and admit to anyone that he was.__

 _" _Stay put you two." Temari commanded, producing a camera from one of the many pouches around her waist. "I want a picture of my best friend and little brother together, if that's awright?"__

 _" _Whatever," Gaara huffed as Akiza leaned against the tree with a bright smile on her face.__

 _" _Smile, Gaara-kun"__

 _" _I don't smile." Gaara stated deadpan as Temari snapped the picture.__

 _'That was almost four years ago, now' Gaara thought. Before his battle with Naruto, before he'd opened up his heart, before he'd learned how to love and care for things._

 _A knock at his chamber doors tore Gaara from his thoughts. He slowly rose from his chair, making his way to the door. He opened it to a particular powder blue haired servant standing there, a cup of freshly brewed tea in her hands, holding it out for him._

 _"For you my lord," the servant spoke with a smile as she held the tea out for him "I believed you to still be awake for the time being."_

 _Gaara smiled warmly at her, accepting the teacup. "Thank you, Aki-chan. Come in, please." He stepped aside for Akiza to enter the room._

 _Akiza smiled and walked in, hands in her hoodie's pockets, and made her way over to Gaara's desk, taking a seat in his chair, spinning around in it. "Long time, no see Gaara-kun." she in a sing-song tone as she spun herself. "How have you been?"_

 _"Well, and yourself?" Gaara asked sitting where the young Hyuuga had several hours ago._

 _"Ya know, cleaning up after your sister, reading, throwing guys and girls out of the mansion after Temari-chan has had her fun. Same old, same old." Akiza stopped spinning to look into Gaara's green eyes with a smirk on her face._

 _"My sister sure does love her 'fun'" Gaara chuckled, taking a sip of his tea that was perfectly sugared and cooled. Akiza sure did know a lot about him._

 _"I must say though, I'm surprised," Akiza stated tapping a finger on the desk as she bit the string of her hoodie. "Temari-sama gave me specific instructions this morning to not only not throw out the female that lay in her bed, but allow her as much time to sleep as the girl wanted. Is Temari-chan in a serious relationship all of a sudden? And with someone that isn't Shikamaru-sama?"_

 _Gaara chuckled again, setting his tea on the desk. "That would appear to be the case, although Hinata-chan has known the family since the Chunin Exams, two years ago, and even back then Temari had told me how beautiful she'd thought Hinata-chan was, so I cannot say that I am surprised by this."_

 _"There is something else, as well. The girl, Hinata-sam... chan, was wearing Temari's mother's Kimono this morning as well."_

 _Gaara nearly burst out laughing when Akiza stumbled upon the honorific for Hinata. "I'm guessing she befriended you?" Gaara asked trying to hide his amusement as a blush spread across Akiza's face._

 _"Shaddup!" Akiza declared, obviously embarrassed by the slip up. "Look, besides you, Kanakuro-sama, and Temari-sama, I've never had friends. Especially not ones who asked me very specifically to not be formal with them. It is a reflex for me to use sama when addressing or speaking of Temari-sama's lovers. Besides that, this is the first one that has declared they want to be friends with me. It's gonna take some getting used to..."_

 _"My siblings and I told you a very long time ago you didn't have to be formal with us, regardless of our stature, yet it seems the only person you are continuously informal with is me." Gaara stated, reaching across the table, placing his hand over Akiza's._

 _"It's out of respect. I may have known all of you a very long time, but Temari-sama, and Kankuro-sama are still older than me, and you all have always been royalty through your father, and now yourself, so I've continued to treat you as such." When Akiza saw Gaara's teeth clench at the mention of his father she knew she'd touched on a bad subject so quickly added "I'd rather treat you that way now, however. You have all earned your titles, and, in my opinion, you are far better suited as the Kazekage than your father ever was, Gaara-kun."_

 _She saw Gaara loosen up a little and let out a mental sigh of relief. The previous Kazekage may have been Gaara's father, but Gaara hated that man with every bone in his body._

 _Akiza then spotted something on the desk and picked it up to examine it, recognizing it immediately. "You still have this thing?" she asked, flipping the picture around to show it to Gaara with an open smile on her face._

 _Gaara nodded in response. "Of course I do. You're a very dear friend to me, Aki-chan. Why would I have gotten rid of it?"_

 _Akiza shrugged, placing the picture back upon the desk before getting up from her chair. "Forgot how sentimental you've gotten, but I must be going, I still have Temari-sama's laundry to finish. It was good seeing you Gaara-kun." She walked over to him, placing a kiss on his cheek before moving for the door. "I'll try to find some more time for us to hand out," And with that she vanished from his view._

 _Akiza made her way back to Temari's room with her heart a flutter. Gaara had held on to that picture for four years, and though it had worn with age, it was still in good enough condition to show he took great care of it._

 _When she arrived at Temari's quarters she used her spare key to open the door, expecting to see Temari and Hinata in bed, but they weren't. She assumed they were out on a date yet and made her way to that bathroom where the washing machine was._

 _She opened the door on top of it, grabbing her step stool, stepping upon it. She may be an adult, but she was still short and could barely reach the bottom of the washer even with the help of the step stool. She dropped all the clean clothes unto the floor fetching the new dirty ones from Temari's room._

 _Almost all of Temari's clothes were blood drenched when Akiza got them, but she knew a simple trick to get it out. She took the dirty clothes back to the bathroom, opening the medicine cabinet, and grabbed the hydrogen peroxide out, using it to scrub the blood out before placing the dirty laundry in the washing machine. She then made her way to the empty room across the hall to hang them up._

 _After that was all done she made her way to the kitchen, placing a pot of water on the stove to boil. She had just pulled out the tea bags when she noticed the front door was open. She began to walk towards it slowly. "Hinata-chan? Temari-chan? Is that you?" She knew it wasn't. Had it been either of them, they would have found her and relieved her of duty._

 _She looked around and noted that the apartment was quiet, save for some shuffling in the bedroom. She didn't take any chances, opening the hallway closet, grabbing one of Temari's kunai knives from it. She may not have had full Ninja training, but Temari had insisted on her learning the basics of wielding a kunai for her own protection.  
_

_She slowly made her way into the bedroom to find a man standing there in an ANBU Black Ops mask. "Who the hell are you?"_

 _The man spun around to face her, noting the Kunai she was wielding. "I am Kaname Tagoma, from Konohagakure. I am looking for Temari-sama, I have strict orders to bring her in." the man said, throwing his hands in the air. "I don't want to harm you, I need only to find Temari-sama."_

 _Akiza knew instantly. "You're lying and you have until the count of three to leave."_

 _The man sighed shaking his head. "Very well, if it must be that way."_

 _He took off with lightning speed, charging directly at Akiza who simply side stepped him, attempting to slash at him with the Kunai but only connected with air as he ducked into a somersault. He got to his feet quickly, darting out at her again, but when she attempted to side step, he caught her leg with his own, yanking it out from under her._

 _Akiza fell on her back and the man leaped onto her, grabbing her wrist that held the Kunai. He then used his superior strength to turn the knife in on herself as she used all her might to keep it at bay. In a desperate attempt to salvage her life, Akiza threw a punch that connected with the side of the mans head, knocking his mask off his face which stunned him long enough for her to pull her right leg up and kick the man off of her._

 _Without a moments hesitation Akiza was on her feet, running for the opened door when something sharp pierced her back, right through to her heart. She collapsed on the ground outside trying to get up an move, but her body fought her._

 _She heard footsteps closing in on her. She could smell the blood pooling around her. She knew she wasn't going to live if she didn't fight. She used every last bit of strength to pull herself out the door. She tried to scream but it only came out as a mangled gargle. She then felt someone pull her up by her hair and a single thought crossed her mind. 'Sorry Gaara, looks like I won't be able to hang out with you after all.' She felt steel on her neck, and in one quick motion, the blood spurted onto the ground._


	2. Chapter 2 : Trying Not To Love You

_Rin's emerald eyes slowly fluttered open, meeting Kankuro's dark ones through that shadows that cascaded themselves over the room. Kankuro's arms were wrapped around her, holding her as close to his naked body as he could without harming her._

 _"Morning, sleepyhead." Kankuro playfully taunted only to get a smile in response as Rin buried herself in his chest. "How did you sleep?"_

 _Rin shrugged. She felt as though she were forgetting something. Something important, but couldn't for the life of her remember what it... "Shit!" she exclaimed, jumping out of bed looking for her clothes that were strewn all over the floor. "My mom's gonna kill me!" she exclaimed running around the room frantically._

 _Kankuro couldn't help but laugh at the sight he beheld. A tiny, completely nude girl, running around a dark, unfamiliar room whilst panicking as though somebody were out to get her. He slowly got out of bed, walking behind her, gliding his arms around her waist, holding her close._

 _Rin loved the feeling of Kankuro's embrace, and let herself sink into it before reality struck her again and she ripped away from him. "Kankuro-kun, we don't have time!"_

 _Kankuro sighed before grabbing her by the hand, spinning her around, kissing her softly, pulling her closer to him. That did it. She kissed him back with an equal amount of love and tenderness before pulling away slightly. "No fair," she nearly whimpered._

 _Kankuro smiled down at her, "Your mother has an idea where you are, I sent one of my men to tell her Temari was going to be training you tonight and you would return home tomorrow."_

 _"So basically, you lied." Rin stated, deadpan. When Kankuro bobbed his head side to side with a 'no idea what you're talking about' look upon his face, Rin wanted so badly to slap him. "Ya know, Kankuro-kun, you're something else."_

 _To that Kankuro flashed her a devil may care smile, scooping her up in his strong arms. "You know it. One of a kind, limited edition, bad ass, puppet master at your service." That did cause Rin to playfully backhand him across the chest._

 _Kankuro laid down with Rin still in his arms before pulling the blankets over their head. Thank Gaara for the air conditioned building, otherwise the heat outside would have melted them in their sleep. Even at night, the desert air was still unbearably hot._

 _After he and Rin had gotten comfortable, Kankuro decided it was time to tease his latest partner some more. "So it's 'Kankuro-kun' now huh?" he chuckled, causing a blush to spread across Rin's cheeks._

 _"Well, I thought, ya know, after last night. You, and me, and what we did. I kinda thought I didn't have to be formal with you anymore, but if it bothers you, I'll stop. I don't know what I was thinking. It was just sex, it's not like it meant anything and you hav..." Kankuro caught her in another kiss to stop her from rambling before she said something neither one of them wanted to hear at this point in time._

 _"It wasn't just sex, Rin-chan. I was only teasing you." This elicited the brightest smile Kankuro had ever seen come from her in the five years he'd known her. "Don't go expecting us to get married, Rin-chan," Kankuro teased her. "I'm not ready for that kind of commitment yet, but being together, with you, that would probably be the easiest thing I've ever done."_

 _Rin was taken aback by his last words. She didn't know whether it was an insult or a back-handed compliment. "What do you mean by that, Kankuro-kun?"_

 _"I feel like I am at home with you, Rin-chan," Kankuro explained, looking deep into those jade irises he adored so much. "I don't have to pretend I'm something I'm not. I don't have to be on guard. I don't even have to act like the Kazekage's brother, nor as my title as a commander."_

 _"I never cared about any of that," Rin interjected. "Kankuro-kun, I knew you before you held the ranking you do now, and I fell in love with you then. It's true, you were the former Kazekage's son, but that never mattered. I don't care about your rank, I don't care that you have been royalty since I've known you. It's the way you are. You used to be cruel, that is certain, but I saw in you what you are now. You still have your own issues, everybody does, but you are kind. You are strong. You have one hell of a mouth and a dirty personality to boot, but this," Rin placed her hand over Kankuro's heart looking him in the eyes, "This has always been the same. Your cool exterior, your attitude, even your carefree lifestyle, I see beyond all that to who it is you truly are on the inside. That is why I fell in love with you Kankuro-kun, and that is why I have always loved you. I tried, I tried so damn hard to squash those feelings. I tried to erase them from my being because I never thought this day would come, but here we are, in your bed, together." Rin smiled up at him, "Kankuro-kun, I tried not to love you, but in the end, that only caused me to love you more."_

 _Kankuro smiled at her. He knew how she felt. He'd never admit it to anyone, but he was certain that a large factor in his shift from cruel to the way he was now, had been Rin. He'd hated children, they were annoying and always getting in the way, but he met this spunky little spitfire and some of that changed._

 _" _Oof..." A fiery red head fell on the ground after running, head on, into the puppet master as he had made his way down the streets of Sunagakure.__

 _" _What the hell?" Kankuro grabbed the girl by her hair, dragging her back to her feet. "Watch where the hell your going, you little snot-nosed pipsqueak."__

 _ _The girl growled at him, pushing his arm off her hair. "You watch where you're going, jerk!"__

 _ _This enraged Kankuro to no end. "You little brat! Have you any idea who it is you're talking to?"__

 _" _Kankuro-kun, let her go, she's just a little girl," came Temari's voice from right behind Kankuro. She sounded more annoyed than anything.__

 _" _Yeah, I know who all three of you are! You're the children of the bastard that dares call himself our Lord Kazekage." the little girl yelled back at Kankuro, which caught him off guard. He knew everyone hated his father, but very few were as vocal about it as the little girl that stood before him now, staring him down like he weren't three feet taller than her. He honestly believed that if provoked, she'd go down fists flying.__

 _" _What's your name, little one?" Temari asked, bending over with her hands on her knees so that she was at eye level with the little girl, a smile upon her face.__

 _" _Why, so you can report me to your father?" the little girl asked, glaring back at Temari the way she had glared at Kankuro.__

 _" _Not at all, quite the opposite, actually. Anybody who could leave this dope speechless is good in my book." Temari smirked pointing to Kankuro as the "dope" she was referring to.__

 _" _My name is Rin Kurosama, a kunoichi in training!" the girl declared. "And that dope you call your sibling started it!"__

 _" _I know little one. Take this." Temari handed over a red scroll to Rin who hesitantly took it, giving Temari a puzzled look. "That is a summoning scroll for one of my spare fans. I want you to have it, maybe you'll get more use out of it than I am. Right now it's only collecting dust."__

 _" _Th-thank you..." Rin stammered out, holding the scroll gently, as though it were fragile.__

 _" _No problem," Temari smiled at her before turning to her siblings. "Awright boys, let's move out." Temari waited until her sibling had moved passed them before returning to Rin. "If you need any help working that thing, you let me know awright?" Rin nodded in response. Temari ruffled her hair a bit before following her brothers.__

 _ _Kankuro couldn't help but look over his shoulder to the only person besides Temari and his father, to ever scold him like a child. 'Rin Kurosama, huh?'__

 _That was almost six years ago now. Back before the Chunin exams, before the Konohagakure invasion, and before he'd come to his senses and stopped acting like such an ass. Now he was a Jonin, the Kazekage's first choice to lead shinobi into battle, and respected among his village. A lot had changed, and Rin's rage filled outburst that day had been a large reason why._

 _The ironic thing about that whole situation was that Rin wasn't normally so bold at all. She was usually the first to avoid any sort of confrontation, stuttered constantly, and held her tongue, yet on that day in particular she was very outspoken. Kankuro, of course, knew why. On that day, Rin's father was selected as one of shinobi to take part in the assault on Konoha, and Rin had known how dangerous the mission was. Konohagakure may have produced many ninja that were compassionate and caring, but they were also very proud of their land and would never allow it to be defiled or overtaken._

 _"What are you thinking about?" Rin asked, pulling Kankuro from the dreamworld he'd accidentally slipped into._

 _"About the day we met," Kankuro chuckled, "How you were so angry with my siblings and I for something we'd had no control over."_

 _Rin's face turned cherry colored real fast at mention of her temper tantrum the day she met her love and her sensei. "I-I..." Rin stammered again burying her face back into Kankuro's chest. "I was a child!"_

 _"You still are a child,_ _ _dope__ _." Kankuro teased. Rin may have only been a few years short of Kankuro in age, but she was still only fifteen and Kankuro was eighteen, it may only have been a small age difference, but it was still there, and still considered taboo in their village. One more year and less people would have cared, but the simple fact remained, Rin was still considered a child to everybody._

 _Rin recognized the insult Kankuro was referring to instantly. "I never quite apologized for that correctly, did I?" She asked, already knowing the answer. "I am sorry, Kankuro-kun."_

 _"Ah, water under the bridge." Kankuro smirked, ruffling her hair. "Besides, why apologize now for something that happened five and a half years ago?"_

 _"Because I'm older now, and more mature, and I kinda feel bad about the way I treated you and Temari-sensei," Rin explained to him. Temari had been training Rin since pretty much the day they had met, and Rin considered Temari to be her 'true sensei', but Temari was the liaison for Sunagakure and Konohagakure, so Rin's training with her wasn't often. Temari never cut her any slack though, despite being somewhat friends, Temari always pushed Rin to her limits during their training sessions._

 _"As you said, you were a snot-nosed brat back then. We all do stupid things when we're kids, I know I did." Kankuro smirked, trying to take her mind off it. "Why don't we go back to sleep?"_

 _xXx_

 _"I'm afraid it would be dangerous to keep doing this to her." A man dressed in a white lab coat explained to Hinata. "I honestly don't quite understand why she keeps coming out it, but the human heart can only bear so much, and if we keep temporarily killing Temari-sama, it's a likely possibility she would stay that way."_

 _Hinata's breath hitched. 'One day,' she thought, 'I've been with Temari-chan for one day, and now it's killing her.' Perhaps if she'd returned to Konoha, to her father, he'd leave Temari alone. He'd let the entire thing wash away and they could both return to their old lives, miserable, but alive._

 _"What's the status on the antidote?" Hinata asked the doctor. "Has there been any news?" She knew she was asking for the shinobi currently en route to the cure to be defying the laws of physics, but she didn't care. Temari was barely hanging by a thread and her life depending on her village right now to save her._

 _"I'm sorry, Ms. Hyuuga, but there has been no word yet from the retrieval team, I'm afraid." the doctor's tone was sympathetic. He had been informed of the long night the poor girl had been facing, but he couldn't alter reality or lie to her to make her feel better. "We're going to start blood transfusions, it may help in prolonging her life until the team has made contact with Kirigakure."_

 _Hinata nodded, looking back to Temari. She didn't know what to do. The doctors had already put Temari in a temporary death state twice in the time span of only an hour, yet Temari kept coming out of it somehow._

 _Gaara's earlier visit still loomed over Hinata as well. His blood lust had returned, she could tell from the hatred in his eyes. Hinata understood that an attack on his very own sister whom he cared for so dearly would make him angry, but she felt that wasn't the full story. Not with how calm he spoke during the meeting the day before. He was now hurting and Hinata had a feeling it had something to do with Akiza's passing._

 _"Aki-chan..." The word fell from Temari's lips as the heart monitor started beating again. It was very slow at first, but it soon found a normal rhythm, which was both good and bad. She may have come back to the land of the living, but her heart beating would spread the poison in her body quicker than it was._

 _Hinata froze. She knew Temari was stubborn, but coming out of a death state after only fifteen minutes of being put in was unheard of. Hinata didn't know what to do. She wanted so much to have faith in her love, but she was afraid that letting Temari stay awake would put her in more danger than she already was. Unaware of what to do, Hinata ran to get the doctor in a panic._

 _" _Temari-sama, I really should be working. Your brother will be very angry if he finds out that he's paying me to go shopping with you," Akiza said as the pair made their way into yet another boutique. Was it the eighth or ninth? Akiza had lost count some time ago.__

 _" _Na, you let me handle my brother, Aki-chan," Temari reassured her companion. "Gaara-kun may act cool, but he's really a softy at heart. Besides, you're with me and I'm the person you're assigned to so in actuality you are working."__

 _ _Akiza merely shook her head. 'Logically illogical as always,' She thought as she followed Temari to the kimono section of the store.__

 _" _Ah, here we are," Temari said in a singsong voice, pulling a pitch black kimono off the rack. It was short like her own, with a pink sash, instead of a red one. "I think this would look simply stunning on my best friend. What about you?"__

 _" _I wouldn't be caught dead in that thing," Akiza stated dryly, pulling up the hood on the black sweatshirt she wore. She may not want to be a ninja, but she was still a tomboy of sorts.__

 _" _Ok then, how about this?" Temari asked pulling frilly black skirt off a neighboring rack. "I bet if you show that you actually are a girl deep down, the boys would be all over you."__

 _" _You act like I care about stuff like that, Temari-sama." Akiza scoffed. "I'm not a typical girl, you know. Why do you want me to change?"__

 _ _Temari sighed. She should have known better than to attempt to in any way change Akiza, but she couldn't help it. Akiza was her best friend, and Temari couldn't stand seeing her so miserable all of the time. "Are you not lonely, Aki-chan," Temari asked her friend in earnest and when she saw Akiza flinch, she knew she was on to something. "I just thought... maybe you'd like to change that. I mean you've always worn the same hoodie and tattered shorts since the day we met, and I figured you'd like something different. Something new, something fresh. Something no one else has ever owned before you, maybe then people would start treating you differently."__

 _" _You think a change of clothes will change the fact that I'm an outcast?" Akiza asked with confusion written all over her face. "I'm not a kunoichi, I'm an orphan, and to top it all off, I'm poor. This land can not accept people like me."__

 _" _I did." Temari smiled at her. "When we first met you despised my very existence, but we became friends, haven't we?" This brought a smile to Akiza's face. "Gaara-kun has as well, hasn't he?"__

 _ _That caused a blush to play over Akiza's cheeks. Gaara had been the first person to accept her and her ideals. Perhaps it was because they'd lost so much, or perhaps it was due to them both being outcasts, but even when his bloodlust was at it's peak, he'd never so much as risen his voice at her. Now he was the Kazekage, and she was under his employment, so all thoughts of a romance between them were out the window.__

 _" _If you are hinting that I should ask Gaara-kun out on a date, I do believe you are forgetting he knows about us sleeping together when we got drunk last year." Akiza pointed out, not trying to sound too much like she were calling Temari out.__

 _" _Uh..." Temari was dumbfounded at how openly Akiza had just blurted that out in a public place. "Water under the bridge?" Temari was the one blushing now as she put the skirt and kimono back on their respected racks. "Besides, you say that like it's a bad thing. I don't regret what we did, do you?"__

 _ _Akiza shrugged, leaning against a wall. "I did right after it had happened, but not so much now. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love you and you're still my friend and all, but I can't get over the fact that I lost my virginity in a drunken one night stand, ya know?"Temari huffed, pretending to take offense to that. "Hey, it may have been a drunken fit, but you lost yours to Shikamaru-sama who you'd had a massive crush on. I lost mine to someone who I had never thought of in that way before or after that night."__

 _" _I mean, if you want we could always make it a two night stand," Temari joked, looking over her shoulder at Akiza. "I kinda liked the way you tasted." Temari licked her lips eliciting yet another crimson face that looked so damned cute against Akiza's powder blue hair.__

 _" _I think I'll pass on that offer." Akiza stated, trying to hide her embarrassment, which she should've known would only add fuel to the fire.__

 _" _Aw, c'mon Aki-chan," Temari walked over to Akiza wrapping her arms around the shorter girls neck. "Didn't I taste good, and besides," She leaned in close to Akiza's ear and whispered so she was sure no one else would hear her, "I've got some new toys and a lot more experience in pleasuring a woman now." Temari knew how to seal the deal on her little taunt and pulled Akiza into a passionate kiss, which the girl jumped out of quickly, turning several shades of red Temari didn't even know existed.__

 _" _Always knew she was strange." came a voice from behind the two girls and Temari spun on her heel to see an teenage boy who had been gawking at the pair.__

 _" _Excuse me?" Temari asked, moving toward the young man. "Did you say something about me?"__

 _" _Actually I was referring to your friend over there." The boy said laughing a little. "What I said was 'I always knew she was strange,' didn't quite peg her for a filthy dyke though."__

 _ _That did it. Temari could take an insult flung at her, including one about being a lesbian, but nobody insulted Akiza. Especially when the insult wasn't even close to true. In the blink of an eye her scroll was out, her fan was in her hand, and she had pulled it back.__

 _" _Woah, I'm sorry. It was just a jo..." the boy stammered, but before he could finish...__

 _" _Kamaitachi! Slicing wind blades!" Temari screamed, whipping her fan around, hitting the boy dead on. He was flung back like a rag doll, along with a considerable amount of merchandise, into the wall. "Nobody fucks with my friends!"__

 _ _Everybody in the shop stopped and stared at the scene that unfolded before them, stunned. The shop keeper ran up to the ruckus yelling about all his clothes and damages to the building. Temari apologized profusely, handing the man her address, telling him to send her the bill as Akiza pulled her out of the shop.__

 _ _Once they were on the road again, Akiza decided to speak up. "Ya know, Temari-sama, you didn't have to do that." Akiza told her, trying not to sound too upset. "I'm used to insults being hurled my way. I've had to deal with it most of my life."__

 _" _I don't care. What he said wasn't only a direct insult, but untrue as well. You may not have gotten angry at him, but I did." Temari said, steam still pouring out from the buns on her head. "I mean the nerve of some people in this village is appalling!"__

 _" _I understand that, but making a scene in there was simply uncalled for," Akiza said, still practically dragging Temari down the road so she didn't turn back around and go after the boy again. "Let's just go get some ramen, and cool down. Sound good?"__

 _ _Temari reluctantly agreed and took Akiza to the best ramen shop in Sunagakure. They ordered two bowls of plain ramen and were just about finished eating when a certain crimson haired Shinobi sat down next to them, ordering the same.__

 _" _Hey Gaara-kun," Temari managed in between bites. "What brings you here?"__

 _" _Your foolish attack on a teenager at the Karasumori's shop. One of my men informed me. What were you thinking?" Gaara scolded as though he were the older sibling instead of the other way around. "You could have killed the kid."__

 _" _Hold up. He started it, Gaara-kun." Akiza interrupted, trying to defend her friend. She knew the possibility of it falling upon deaf ears was high, but she had to try. She couldn't leave Temari to the wayside when getting punished for defending Akiza herself. "He insulted me, and Temari stood up for me. While I am aware she was not in the right, he was not fully innocent either!"__

 _" _The fact still remains she attacked an unarmed kid in a public place and there are plenty of witnesses to verify that." Gaara stated, taking his ramen from the vendor, "Thank you very much." He said to the vendor, forcing a smile. "How did the boy insult you?"__

 _" _He called her a filthy dyke because I was kissing her, and I do regret attacking him, but I'll be damned if somebody insults one of my friends in my presence." Temari's anger was on the rise as the steam started rising from her head again, her brother was not helping the situation either.__

 _ _Gaara nearly choked on the ramen he was eating before regaining his composure somewhat. "I was unaware that you were a lesbian, Aki-chan." Gaara tried to be cool, but he couldn't tell whether to be upset at the news he'd just received, or happy that Akiza was seeing somebody who could make her happy.__

 _" _What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Temari sounded offended at the way Gaara's words came out. "And what the hell does it have to do with ANYTHING? Is there something wrong with being a lesbian? Why is it perfectly all right for me to be intimate with women, and not for her?"__

 _" _I did not intend for it to sound as though I were condemning it." Gaara tried to explain in a soothing tone. His sister may have been a liaison, but she was still as hot-headed and quick-tempered as ever. "I was simply unaware of the fact. Nor was I aware she'd had those forms of desires for you."__

 _" _And what if I did, huh?" Akiza exploded, now she was the one offended for Temari. "What you think that just because I kissed you means that I'm suddenly yours and yours alone? Does it mean I can't have interest in other people, because if that is what you think, Gaara-kun, you are dead wrong."__

 _ _Gaara couldn't seem to win. All he was trying to do was relay the knowledge he'd had, not make it seem as a personal attack "I was not trying to offend anybody, nor had I implied that, Aki-chan, I was simply uninformed was all."__

 _" _Uninformed my ass, Gaara-kun," Temari chuckled, relishing the way Gaara was getting yelled at from both of them like a little boy who just got caught peeping on his sister and her friends. "You knew the day after we had slept together that we had."__

 _" _I did," Gaara shrugged, returning to his ramen "I was also told by Aki-chan that she was drunk and that it was simply a drunken occurrence, not a continuing event."__

 _" _Would you have not hired her to be my assistant if it had been a reoccurring event?" Temari asked, narrowing her eyes at her brother. She dared him to confirm her suspicion now. She was in the mood to find a new punching bag and she'd venture a guess that crimson haired, cool demeanored, little brat would look good covered in blood right about now.__

 _" _Maid," Gaara corrected, and shot a look at Akiza before delivering his next words. "Which it seems I am paying her now while she is not even working." He knew as soon as the words left his lips he'd screwed up, giving himself a mental slap to the back of the head since it were impossible to achieve by other means thanks to his sand.__

 _" _She's not my maid, Gaara-kun," Temari fumed, yanking Gaara's ramen away from him. She held in her urge to pummel him right then and there. One could of assault was enough for the day. If she'd beaten down the Kazekage, out in public, for everyone to see, chances were she'd end up in jail. Sister or not. "She's my friend, and yours too. How could you be so rude to someone you dare call a friend, I thought you were better than that!"__

 _ _Gaara sighed. It was as though every word come from his mouth the wrong way. He loved Akiza and his sister, and if they were happy together, then he'd be happy for them. He hadn't come here with the desire for offending either party, but every sentence spoke only made the girls jump down his throat more. "I... I didn't mean for it to come out as it did..."__

 _" _So what, are you gonna fire her now?" Temari asked getting in her brother's face, "Do it, I dare you. You think I used to be afraid of you, little brother? You've never seen me get angry." She gave him a death glare that let him know, it wasn't an empty threat. It was a promise.__

 _ _Gaara then said quite possibly the worst thing he could have in this predicament. "Would that because shes our friend, or because she's your girlfriend?"__

 _ _That did it. Akiza had be getting more and more furious by the second, but that one statement broke her. How dare he? She swore if they were alone she would have slapped Gaara just then. It had only been one drunken occurrence, but now Gaara were treating it as though it were some kind of sin. Like something Akiza should be ashamed of. How dare he point an accusing finger at them as though they had done something wrong?__

 _ _Before letting the rage get to her, Akiza threw money on the counter, grabbed Temari's hand, and drug her away again. With the way Gaara was speaking, it felt as though he were accusing her of being some kind of harlot, just as the rest of the town had thought she would become.__

 _" _Where are we going now?" Temari whined as Akiza pulled her down the road, stomping and huffing.__

 _ _Temari got her answer when they arrived at Akiza's apartment. Akiza quickly yanked her through the door and into the bedroom. Akiza didn't waste a single moment. She kicked the bedroom door closed, and threw Temari on the bed, stripping out of her hoodie and tank top. She then fell onto Temari kissing her lustfully.__

 _ _Temari was shocked, but she wasn't about to start complaining as she kissed Akiza back, wrapping a leg around her. When Akiza broke away from the kiss to catch her breath, Temari smiled up at her. "Well, I must say, this is a pleasant surprise."__

 _" _Want me to stop?" Akiza asked, kicking out of her shorts, now naked.__

 _ _Her body was just as Temari had remember it. Despite the hoodie she always wore to cover herself up, Akiza was well endowed and beautiful. "Not at all," Temari smirked, catching Akiza's lips in another hungry kiss...__

 _Temari was ripped from her dreams of memories by what felt like a knife stabbing her in the stomach. Then she felt as though a piece of her vanished from her heart. "GAARA-KUN!"_


	3. Chapter 3 : Dirty Little Secret

_Chapter 3_

 _Rin and Kankuro walked side by side down the street that lead to the Kurosama's spa. After their night together, they had decided to break the news to Rin's parents. Kankuro, of course, knew this was a bad idea. 'I'm gonna die, I just know it' Kankuro thought as he stole a glimpse at Rin, wrapped around his left arm, smiling and humming, 'but if it will make Rin-chan happy, chances are I'd do just about anything.'_

 _Kankuro knew Rin's father personally. He'd fought alongside the shinobi many a time before. He was a great warrior, but he was also a loving, caring, and over-protective father. The day she'd turned thirteen Kankuro overheard him considering locking her inside the house and never letting her leave. He'd always fear someone would steal his baby away from him and he'd never see her again. Kankuro may not have had that particular intention, but it wasn't going to stop Raisen Kurosama form thinking it was._

 _An echoed off to the west breaking the couples serendipitous attitudes. "What the hell?" Kankuro stopped walking, looking in the direction of the blast, watching as black smoke billowed into the air. "That's..." Kankuro couldn't waste a second. The blast was coming from the direction of the hospital. "Rin-chan, I'm going to check that out, you stay here." Before Rin could say syllable of protest, Kankuro vanished among the rooftops of the village._

 _Like hell she was just going to stand around while Kankuro leaped into danger. She was going to follow him whether he liked it or not, but Rin knew she had to be smart about it. If Kankuro were running into battle then her showing up completely exhausted and out of chakra would be no use to him. She'd be a liability instead of an asset. Without another moment's hesitation she began running down the road._

 _She ducked into alleys, dodged the many vendors pushing around their carts of goods, and ran through shops, but no matter how fast her legs could carry her, she knew Kankuro would get to the scene before her. Then she remembered the old Kazekage's mansion, the one she was close to now. It wouldn't take much chakra to climb it and use it as a launch pad, and she'd be close to the explosion._

 _She quickly made a left between a boutique and ramen shop, already concentrating chakra to her feet, when something stopped her dead in her tracks. She saw a man she didn't recognize dragging someone out of the abandoned tower. She could tell that the body being drug through the sand was a lifeless corpse, but it took her a moment to register the kanji tattooed to the body's forehead, slightly covered by crimson red hair._

 _'Gaara-ue...' the name ripped through her mind like a freight train through glass. 'No...'_

 _She didn't hesitate, she didn't blink. Without a second thought Rin unsheathed the kunai from a pouch around her kneecap. With tears in her eyes, she charged at the man as fast as she could, her the chakra focused to her feet giving her great momentum. She would show no mercy as the blade cut cleanly through the man's neck, spurting blood on both herself and Gaara._

 _Once the stranger had sufficiently been dealt with, Rin fell to her knees at Gaara's side, taking his hand in her own. "Gaara-ue?! Gaara-ue?! Don't be dead, come on." She began CPR on what she knew was a corpse, but all her hope told her not to give up on someone who'd been so kind to her. "Gaara-kun! Wake up, Gaara-kun!" Rin cried as tears cascaded down her cheeks. "Please do not die!"_

 _"He's gone, girly." came a strange voice right behind Rin. "Same as you're gonna be, after we have our fun with you, of course." Rin turned to see the man talking. He was also unfamiliar to her, but she could tell his ranking just by the mask that was on the right side of his face. He was ANBU, or had been at one point or another, and he wasn't alone._

 _Rin counted out more the ten men. Most of them also donned the ANBU mask, other had headbands with gashes across their village's symbol. They were all rogues, which meant they were all dangerous. Regardless, Rin bore her teeth at them, staring them down with malice. "Aw, is the little girly upset that her dear lord Kazekage is dead? It's his own fault." the first man spoke up, smiling at her with decaying, and missing teeth._

 _"No mercy," Rin mumbled, rising to her feet as more men poured from the shadows, tower, and seemingly out of thin air._

 _"I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't quite hear you, my dear." The man was taunting her which only caused her to smile._

 _"I said:" Rin turned, staring him down. "No mercy." In a flash she'd ripped open her scroll as a fan popped out, right into her hand. "KAMAITACHI! SLICING WIND BLADES!" The gust of wind sent from her fan hit a small group, dead on, but they rose back to their feet, seemingly unfazed._

 _"Ha, is that all you got?" Now they were all taunting her, as the lunged toward her, which only caused a smirk to grow on her face. She hadn't used even close to a fraction of her full power on that last attack, but now she knew they were definitely strong. Which she would use against them._

 _She spun herself into a ball, fan on her back, patiently waiting as they piled onto her one by one. She had her own Jutsu up her sleeve. "GALEFORCE SHIELD!" a tunnel of wind slowly began weaving itself from her fan, soon cloaking her in a sphere of wildly swirling air, sending everybody else flying from her without effort._

 _Rin didn't miss a beat. She began running towards a rather large group of men, throwing several shiriken at them which they all easily dodged, but weren't prepared for her next attack. "KAMAITACHI!" Rin cried, launching herself into the air above them, whipping her fan red-trimmed fan around in mid air. "SLICING WIND BLADES!" That torrent hit her target head on, forcing them to their knees and backs. That brought another smirk to her face as she sent a second, more powerful gust bellowing right behind the first. Cries of pain rang out, blood flew, and the combatant's went limp as their life drained from their flesh in pools._

 _"Thought you were smart, huh?" Rin's original antgonizer appeared behind her, grabbing her by the throat. "Bet you thought you'd won, sorry girly, but that's not the case." The man drew her back, throwing Rin directly at the tower. "That oughta take care of ya." he laughed, watching Rin's body hurl towards the looming structure._

 _"Actually, I hadn't until just now." Rin chuckled, appearing above the man who was clearly shocked._

 _He looked towards the building where 'Rin' had hit, seeing a sand clone reforming. "But how?"_

 _"Substitution, a pretty common skill." Rin said, slapping the man with her fan, right into the building, sending him clear through it. She landed on the ground just a female wrapped around all of her limbs like a snake. "What the-"_

 _"I learned this skill from Lord Orochimaru." The female stated in sinister voice, "Let's go, while I have her!" The woman spread Rin's arms as far apart as she could to keep her from using hand signs while rooting Rin's sandal clad feet to the ground._

 _"You think you have me?" Rin asked, closing her eyes with a smirk upon her face, which caused her captor to tighten her grip. "You haven't been paying close attention, have you? I do not need hand signs to cast my jutsu, just my fan. WIND STYLE, GIANT VORTEX!"_

 _A small tornado formed from Rin's fan, tearing the snake-like kunoichi off of her before she aimed the vortex to the men charging her, but she was momentarily too late. A fist connected with her cheek, and knocked her off her feet, sending her to the ground._

 _"I see you are very skilled at ninjutsu, but let's see your taijutsu. I'm willing to bet that it's your weakest attribute." Another kunoichi stood above Rin now, staring her down. Rin could see from the kunoichi's headband, that she was a rogue from Konohagakure. The only land with a taijutsu master that was able to out-speed Gaara's sand and nearly defeat him._

 _The kunoichi aimed a kick directly at Rin's head and collided with the hard sand as Rin rolled out of the way, jumping to her feet. The rouge had been right, taijutsu was her weakest skill, luckily short bursts of speed were her best._

 _Rin quickly ran away from her attacker as the rogue gave pursuit, falling further and further behind. Once Rin was sure there was enough distance between the, she spun around whipping her fan, sending a gust of wind at her pursuer, causing the taijutsu user to stumble right in front of Rin._

 _"May be my weakest, but I can still use it," Rin chimed with a smile, "Lights out." Rin's uppercut connected directly with the rouge kunoichi's nose and knocked her onto her back. Rin then stomped on her face, causing the kunoichi to black out._

 _More and more men came for Rin, and she took them out to the best of her ability. Sometimes one on one, other times in droves. She fought her heart out, wind pouring from her fan with every attack, but she could feel her chakra reaching it's limit. She knew she was almost out of energy to continue to fight, so she resorted to something Temari taught her, but constantly warned her against using._

 _Rin stopped fighting, focusing as much chakra as she could into her next attack. It had to be the last, or else she would be doomed. She felt it, all of her chakra had gathered up, ready for the knock-out punch. She pulled her fan back, bracing herself. This jutsu was powerful. She remembered how it had sent her flying the first couple of times she'd tried to use it. "FINAL STAND TECHNIQUE! GALEFORCE HURRICANE OF DESTRUCTION!"_

 _As she whipped her fan around, a small tornado formed, and Rin froze. Had she not enough chakra to cast the jutsu? Had she failed? She fell to her knees, using her fan to support her, watching the tornado whip around, pulling some of her foes into it, but barely doing any damage before it spat them back out._

 _"What kind of attack was that?" Temari's voice echoed in Rin's ear. "I know you're better than that dope," Rin's eyes began to lose focus, closing slightly as Temari's voice kept ringing in her ear. "Don't forget it's a wind jutsu, you can make it stronger."_

 _Rin's eyes shot open. She focused her eyes on the tornado, begging for her body to find some more energy. "Don't forget about your anger, dope." Temari's voice was supportive. "Remember what I told you, there's nothing wrong with anger. Anger is energy. USE IT!" Rin thought about everything happening. The explosion, Gaara's death, all the taunts these pathetic low lives had been throwing at her. That did it. She watched as the small tornado kept growing and growing until it was a spiral of wind that reached all the way to the heavens above, ripping every thing near it, including the abandoned mansion, into the spiral, tearing it to shreds._

 _"That's my girl." Temari's voice was the last thing Rin heard before collapsing on the ground._

 _" _Is that all you got, pipsqueak?"Temari scolded her student, watching as the small girl huffed and puffed, kneeling on the ground, clearly out of breath. "You have to be kidding me. I know I said I'd you learn how to fight with that fan, but I didn't realize you were so damn weak!"__

 _" _I'M NOT WEAK!" the child screamed, climbing to her feet. Anger flashed in her eyes and she charged at Temari with a Kunai drawn.__

 _ _Temari pulled out her fan. "Kamaitachi, Slicing Wind Blades." Temari barely put any effort or force into the attack as the wind hit the little girl, cutting into her body, drawing blood, and halting her in her tracks. Temari knelt down, so she was eye level with her pupil. "Are you angry Rin-chan?"__

 _" _You know I am, dammit!" Rin screamed back, tears falling from her eyes.__

 _" _There's nothing wrong with anger, Rin-chan." Temari stated, embracing the small girl. "It's energy, but you shouldn't be using it to attack your allies, let alone your sensei."__

 _" _Why can't I do it Temari-sensei?" Rin sobbed into Temari's chest, breaking down into free flowing tears. "I haven't been able to complete a single wind-style technique!"__

 _" _That's nothing to shed tears over, hun." Temari said, making the girl look up at her. "Why are you crying? These are complex techniques. You aren't going to be able to learn to use them over night." Temari spoke soothingly, wiping a tear off Rin's cheek with her thumb. "It's awright if you don't get them right away."__

 _" _I'm afraid."__

 _" _Afraid of what?"__

 _" _I'm afraid..." Rin looked away from Temari. She wanted so badly to bite her tongue. She knew that if she spoke her fears aloud, the possibility of them coming true increased tenfold. "I'm afraid that you'll eventually realize that a weakling like me isn't worth your time and you retire as my sensei. The day you took me under your wing, I thought I could prove myself to you, but now I know that I'm too weak. I could never measure up to a kunoichi like you, and I know that now. I'm sorry you have wasted so much time on me..."__

 _ _Temari faced the girl with a stern look. "If after saying all of that, you still believe you are weak, then you are correct in your assumption that I have wasted my time on you." Rin looked up at her in confusion, so Temari continued. "Being strong is not about being the best at everything, Rin-chan. It is knowing your flaws and how to cope with them. People who are truly weak are the ones who could never admit to themselves or others that they are so. The people who are truly weak are the people that hold themselves in such a high regard that they believe others are beneath them. The ones who are strong, they are the ones who get back up and try again after failing over and over. You admitting you are weak, that alone, makes you one of the strongest people I have ever met."__

 _ _Temari stood up, wiping away the rest of the girls tears before packing up their training equipment, leaving Rin to watch her in shock. She'd never considered it that way before. She hadn't thought that being strong was admitting to being weak. "One more time." Rin said, walking over to her fan, picking it up.__

 _" _What," Temari asked turning to face the girl whose eyes now had a glow of confidence to them.__

 _" _Let's try it, one more time." Rin pulled her fan back, taking her best stance. "KAMAITACHI! SLICING WIND BLADES!"__

 _"Rin-chan," Rin heard the voice, but it sounded so muffled. She felt something lift her into the air. She felt at ease when a pair of arms held her close. "RIN-CHAN, WAKE UP!" It was Kankuro's voice. Even though it was muffled, she could still tell he sounded terrified. "RIN-CHAN!"_

 _Rin's eyes slowly opened and a blurry vision of Kankuro's face came into view. It was covered in black soot and sweat as he stared down at the girl in his arms. Through the soot she could see a look of complete agony upon his face._

 _"Oh, thank Kami you're all right," Kankuro said, holding her tightly, openly weeping._

 _"I'm fine, Kankuro-kun." Rin said, tears streaming down her face. How was she going to tell him? How was she going to break the news that Kankuro's beloved younger brother was dead?_

 _Rin pushed out of Kankuro's embrace, staring at the ground. "Rin-chan, do you know who these men are?" Kankuro asked, staring deep into her eyes._

 _Rin looked around at the forty mutilated bodies that lie scattered on the ground. All of them were torn to shreds with cuts and gashes only wind-style justu could make. She looked down at her hands, wallowing in sorrow, she'd defeated all forty by herself, and she'd come out unscathed. Gathering up all of her courage, she looked back into Kankuro's eyes with tears in her own. "They're the men who killed Gaara-kun..."_

 _Kankuro's shock was evident as he fell to his knees, crying hysterically. First his sister, and now his brother. How could somebody be so happy one day, then lose everything they cared for the next? It wasn't fair._

 _"Kankuro-kun..." Rin's hand was on Kankuro's shoulder as he cried out, punching the ground until his fists bled, then punched it more. Physical pain meant nothing in the wake of the reality he currently found himself in._

 _He spun into Rin, weeping against her stomach as she ran her fingers through his hair. He needed something, anything, to give him reason to continue living._


	4. Chapter 4 : Die

_Chapter 4_

 _The explosion was massive. Fire and debris rained all around Hinata as she rolled from her back unto her stomach, coughing up blood as she did so. She looked around to find Temari's mangled corpse only a few feet away. Using the last bit of her strength, she crawled toward her lover, taking one of Temari's hand's in her own as tears streamed down her face._

 _Hinata's cold body suddenly warmed as she held Temari's hand. She knew she was dying. The sheer force of the massive blast was enough to cause internal bleeding. She didn't fight it. She welcomed Death's cold embrace. She didn't know if there was an afterlife. She only hoped that if there was, Temari would be there waiting for her on the other side. As Hinata's eyes closed she saw a large, hooded figure running towards them, screaming. She couldn't make out the words, she could barely see through the tears and rubble, but she knew it was Kankuro._

 _"TEMARI-CHAN?! HINATA-CHAN?!" Kankuro fell to his knees next to their bodies. He felt something in the pit of his stomach that radiated up through his entire torso, pulsating right behind his eyes. He wanted so badly to cry, but he choked the tears back, using his shirt to cover their bodies._

 _"Kankuro-sama?" The voice belonged to one of Kankuro' s men, but the leader was too distraught to determine whom. "What are we to do?"_

 _Kankuro looked around as everything seemingly moved in slow motion. Debris was still falling from the sky. Several bodies lay among the wreckage. Women, men, residents for Sunagakure. His sister, her lover._

 _Fire reigned from above as Kankuro made his way to the explosion's origin point. He recognized the powder burns on the ground immediately as black gun power, a powerful accelerant that was rare in Sunagakure. His guess was a paper was the trigger, after it erupted, the black powder was enough to cause the massive explosion he had witnessed._

 _"Kankuro-sama," the voice came again, and Kankuro still couldn't bring himself to see who had created it. "What do you wish us to do?"_

 _"Locate any survivors." Kankuro instructed, unsure of himself as smoke billowed in his face. "Help the injured as fast as possible. Afterward gather the bodies. Take them to the morgue, the Kazekage should be here soon." Something told Kankuro he was wrong. The explosion had been large enough to catch his attention, so Gaara had to of already known about it. If he were to come, he would have been on site already._

 _"Nobody has seen seen Lord Kazekage since yesterday," the voice informed Kankuro. "He may be on a mission, or currently in another land."_

 _That was rubbish, and Kankuro knew it. Gaara would have requested Temari and his own company had he been leaving Sunagakure. Something else was going on. Something Kankuro needed to find answers to. He needed to find his brother, he needed to tell Gaara about their sister. "Do as instructed, I will go locate my brother." Kankuro said before he took off._

 _So many things raced through his mind as he made his way to the Kazekage's mansion. Temari. Kankuro could still remember the night as though it were just the last. Him and Temari, sitting alone as they had a drink together after the failure in Konohagakure._

 _" _We can't blame ourselves, Kankuro-kun," Temari reminded him, taking a swig of the sake she had bought for them earlier that day. "That mission was doomed a failure from the start, we were lucky to have made it out with our lives."__

 _" _Yeah, guess you're right," Kankuro relented as he to the bottle Temari offered him. He took another long gulp of the alcohol before continuing. "Still bites, ya know?"__

 _" _What are we to do?" Temari hadn't even wanted to attempt the mission in the first place. Sunagakure was strong, but their people hadn't been fighting form themselves. They had been fighting for Orochimaru and his reign of terror. They'd been fighting for a mad man on his hunt for immortality.__

 _" _Nothing, I guess," Kankuro shrugged, taking his puppet off his back, setting it next to them as they looked out across the skyline of Sunagakure. From the roof of the Kazekage's mansion, everything seemed so small, so far away. It was as though nothing mattered at this height, and Kankuro loved it.__

 _" _Kankuro, there's something I want to tell you, but I am unaware of how you would react." Temari said in a shy tone, pushing her pointer fingers together as she blushed a bit. This caught Kankuro's attention. His sister was never shy about anything, she was the most outspoken one on their team. "You have to promise me you won't laugh or tell Gaara-kun. It is a secret I am currently only entrusting to you. It is not exactly something I wish to be public knowledge quite yet, do you understand?"__

 _ _She may have been acting different from her usual self, but she was the same old Temari. Anytime she needed anything, or had a secret that was so large she couldn't hold in herself, she came to Kankuro. Be it the fact they were siblings, or that she was just naturally at ease around Kankuro, he never knew, but he was always there when his sister needed an ear to talk off. "You have my word," Kankuro reassured her.__

 _" _During the Chunin exams, while we were in Konohagakure, I realized something about myself..." Temari trailed off. It must have been something big that she wouldn't just spit it out right away.__

 _" _Go on," Kankuro hated pushing so had, but in the current situation, it seemed to be needed.__

 _" _I don't want to die alone like so many other shinobi." Temari stated, casting a glance at her brother. "I'm not talking about you and Gaara-kun, either. I want something more. Something unique. I want something I have never truly felt before. I want to be loved. I want to try loving and being with someone. I want to try to be romantic..."__

 _" _That's understandable," Kankuro shrugged, taking another drink, assuming that was the end to her confession.__

 _" _...with a girl." This shocked Kankuro to the point he choked upon the alcohol he was drinking. He'd prepared himself for a lot of things, but his sister coming out of the closet to him was certainly not one of them. He'd always known his sister to be a tomboy, but had never considered the possibility of her wanting to bed one of her own sex.__

 _" _What?" Kankuro asked once he'd regained his composure. "Just to clarify, you want to be in a relationship with a girl, like yourself?"When Temari only nodded in response, Kankuro pressed onward. "Like, kiss, touch, sleep with? You want to do all these things with a female?" Temari nodded again. "Where is all of this coming from, Temari-chan?"__

 _" _It was during the match with Tenten-chan. Even during the fight my body kept having the burning urge to not fight," Temari explained as best she could, but she didn't know whether Kankuro was understanding her. "I kinda wanted to kiss her."__

 _" _OK, so you like Tenten-chan? So you're a lesbian?" Kankuro concluded, finishing off the bottle of sake.__

 _" _Not...exactly..." Temari said, confusing her brother even more so than he had already been. "I'm still into guys too, and, well, Tenten-chan wasn't the only girl who made me feel that way..."__

 _ _Kankuro laid back on the roof covering his face with his hands. "So you're a whore."__

 _ _That caused Temari to slap him in the stomach with all her might. "Gee, thanks a whole fucking lot Kankuro-kun, you ass. I'm trying to be honest with you and you go and say some stupid shit like that?! Go to hell," and with that Temari jumped off the roof, leaving Kankuro cringing in pain.__

 _That stupid girl was always acting wild. After that night he'd found out that she'd found Akiza and had a little fun of their own, but now... now Temari's body lie in the street, bloodied and burned. 'Somebody is going to pay with their life!' Kankuro thought to himself._

 _Kankuro was almost to the Kazekage's mansion when something in the corner of his eye. He stopped and turned to see what appeared to be a giant cyclone of wind, ripping up the former Kazekage's mansion at the other end of the village. Kankuro only knew of two wind users in all of Suna that could create such massive hurricanes, but Temari was dead. That could only mean... 'RIN-CHAN!'_

 _Kankuro ran across the rooftops as fast as his feet and chakra would carry him. By the time he arrived at his destination the funnel had already evaporated. He saw bodies all around torn apart by what he only assumed was the Jutsu he'd witnessed prior. Then he saw her. "Rin-chan!"_

 _Kankuro ran over to her, scooping her up in his arms. "RIN-CHAN, WAKE UP! RIN-CHAN!" Kankuro felt so weak, so helpless as he held the girl close to him. He wasn't a medical expert, he was a puppet master._

 _Kankuro watched closely as Rin's eyes slowly fluttered open. Relief washed over him seeing the girl's green irises through half-lidded eyes. "Oh, thank Kami you're all right," Kankuro said, holding her tightly, openly weeping._

 _"I'm fine, Kankuro-kun." Rin said, tears streaming down her face. She then pushed herself from his embrace, staring at the ground. He could tell something was causing her to falter._

 _"Rin-chan, do you know who these men are?" Kankuro asked, staring deep into her eyes._

 _Rin looked around at the forty mutilated bodies that lie scattered on the ground. All of them were torn to shreds with cuts and gashes only wind-style justu could make. She looked down at her hands, wallowing in sorrow, she'd defeated all forty by herself, and she'd come out unscathed. Gathering up all of her courage, she looked back into Kankuro's eyes with tears in her own. "They're the men who killed Gaara-kun..."_

 _Kankuro's shock was evident as he fell to his knees, crying hysterically. First his sister, and now his brother. How could somebody be so happy one day, then lose everything they cared for the next? It wasn't fair._

 _"Kankuro-kun..." Rin's small voice was so sympathetic, watching as he punched the ground and wept. She was trying to let him know he wasn't alone, but it wasn't working. He knew._

 _Kankuro had lost all that had been dear to him. He watched the blood fly, but didn't care. He took all his anger and frustration out of the sand in front of him, pounding his fist into it over and over and over until Rin moved her hand into his._

 _Kankuro spun into Rin, weeping against her stomach as she ran her fingers through his hair. He was lost. He was alone. Even Rin's comforting touches weren't enough to soothe the ache now felt inside. He needed something, anything, to give him reason to continue living._


	5. Chapter 5: A Place Where You Belong

_Chapter 5_

 _"I am deeply sorry for your loss, Kankuro-kun," It was Shikamaru Nara. He wore an expression that portrayed his feelings perfectly. He was devastated. Temari and Hinata were both dear friends to him, and at one point, Temari had been more._

 _"I appreciate your sympathies, Shikamaru-kun, but that does not erase their deaths," Kankuro stated dryly, looking in the caskets. His siblings, his family, lie lifeless before him. "It does not bring them back to life, it does not make the pain of losing them go away."_

 _"Kankuro-kun..." Rin had been standing beside Kankuro through the duration of the wake, and hearing his words now tore her apart. She desperately wanted to do anything she could to help him, but she knew deep in her heart. There wasn't a thing on earth that would help her beloved in his current condition, nothing except time could mend these tragic wounds._

 _Shikamaru nodded his head towards Kankuro in complete understanding, and walked away leaving Kankuro and Rin alone. Kankuro took that as a cue, and reached inside the jacket of the tuxedo he was wearing, producing a small flask. Before Rin could attempt to stop him, he was already guzzling the alcohol within. Rin couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed Kankuro by the arm, leading him out into the pouring rain._

 _The droplets felt cool against her burning skin. Rin always loved the rain, and everything that had come with it. The smell, the dampness in the air, even the cold chill that seeped it's way into her bones. Rain was a good thing, on most days. Today was not one of them._

 _"Kankuro-kun, you need to stop drinking," Rin began, searching his dark eyes for any trace of understanding or reasoning left in them. "What would Temari-sensei think of you right now?"_

 _"Temari-chan would understand," Kankuro stated blankly. "She would understand the situation they have left me in."_

 _"Kankuro-kun... they didn't leave you... they were stolen from you." Rin's heart broke with every word she spoke. She couldn't believe the words Kankuro had just said. "You may feel deserted, but do not blame your siblings, they loved you, Kankuro-kun. They would never want to see you in this much pain. If you truly wish to blame anyone, blame the people responsible, the people who took them from you."_

 _"How can I?!" Kankuro lashed out, catching Rin off guard. "How could I possibly blame the people who murdered them? They're all dead! Some may see that as justice, but I certainly do not! You were to kind by killing them all, they should have to suffer! They should have to suffer the way I currently am!" His tirade left her speechless as he got louder with every word he spoke, until he was no longer speaking, rather, he was shouting. "They should know this agony, the helplessness that I know now!"_

 _Rin was taken aback. It had been two years since Kankuro had been hostile towards any living creature, yet here he was, screaming at her. The urge to help her lover slowly changed into one of wanting to cover her ears. The way he way yelling, the things he was saying, it was all too much. She wanted to shrink out of existence, even if it was a selfish notion, she didn't care._

 _"Those men already do, kid." Asuma Sarutobi was leaning against a wall, not to far away, smoking a cigarette. "Trust me, cowards like that, all they know is helplessness." He threw the cigarette away, lighting another one before offering one to Kankuro, who, to Rin's shock and dismay, took it greatfully. "I read the reports. The little girl here, Rin-chan, is it?"_

 _"Yes, sir" Rin responded quietly._

 _"She gave forty men a fight that they will never forget, even in the afterlife. That isn't something that anyone takes lightly." As he spoke, he exhaled large clouds of white smoke that rose away from them in heaps. "She even took out one of Orochimaru's men, which I know first hand, is not an easy task by any means, yet that poses a question."_

 _"What kind of question?" Kankuro asked, relishing in the effects of the nicotine. It had been a while since he'd picked up his first cigarette, and not long after he had quit, but right now, it felt so good to give in to the urge again._

 _Most of his anger dulled down, he could feel that it was still there, but it wasn't an immediate threat any longer. His heart slowed, his lungs opened, and even in the down pouring rain, he was able to feel the heat that the desert always radiated. Alcohol may have been a good vice, but nothing could compare to the release he currently felt, smoking a single cigarette._

 _"If one of Orochimaru's followers were involved, there is a good chance that he himself is." Asuma continued, waving his hand to disperse smoke before it had gotten to Rin. "Rin-chan, do you know who any of those rogues were?"_

 _Before Rin could speak, Kankuro was already answering the question. "I do," He stated dryly. "I recognized one of their masks. They had told me they were ANBU from Konohagakure, sent here on a direct order from Lady Tsunade-ue herself, to retrieve my sister."_

 _"That is impossible." Shikamaru now joined the gathering, taking a cigarette from Asuma himself. He did not smoke often, but when certain situations called for it, he'd rather have a cigarette than deal without. "Lady Tsunade-sama would never allow any person, shinobi, or not, to come and cause trouble in Sunagakure."_

 _"From what I have been told, there were extenuating circumstances." Kankuro stared at the dark haired Nara, whose pain was written plain as day all over his face. "She murdered a Hyuuga."_

 _"I know that," Shikamaru said, exhaling his own white cloud. "I was also told by Lady Tsunade-sama, and Kurenai-sama they both believed it to be self defense. No more, no less. I closed the investigation the night it had happened. Hiashi-sama begrudgingly accepted our verdict, claiming he understood the court's decision."_

 _"The ANBU were here the very next day. I had no idea what to think, so I had lied to them. It appears they had found her anyway." Kankuro was now cursing himself for being so stupid. He should have known the Village Hidden in the Leaves were reasonable enough to have attempted a diplomatic solution before resorting to the use of the Inferno Squad._

 _"We've already identified a few of the men Rin-chan had killed," Asuma informed them. "They were in our Bingo Book. All of them had ties to the same organization. The Assassins of the Shadows."_

 _"Assassins?" Shikamaru asked, clearly annoyed. "How troublesome."_

 _Even in the midst of the heartache what was plaguing them, Shikamaru was still as laid back as ever. Kankuro both admired and envied him. He wished he could be like that, not an actual care in the world, even when unfathomably disheartened, still finding something to be annoyed at. Kankuro couldn't tell if it were selfish or a gift._

 _"Asuma-kun," Kurenai stepped out the door, looking for her husband. "I need a cigarette."_

 _"Sure thing," Asuma didn't even have his usual snark as he offered Kurenai a cigarette, lighting it for her. "You awright? It's not very often you ask for a cigarette."_

 _"It isn't every day someone whom I've raised and help grow is ruthlessly murdered for no good reason, Asuma-kun." Kurenai took a deep drag from the cigarette, causing a quarter of the cigarette to disappear into ash. "Hinata-chan... The bastards that did this to her..."_

 _"I know that feeling all too well, Kurenai-sama." Kankuro said in a soothing tone._

 _"But dwelling over it won't do either of you any good," Shikamaru's voice was firm, commanding. Kurenai may have been his superior, and Kankuro may have been like a brother to him, but he couldn't bear anymore wasted energy. "This isn't over for any of us. We have rouges posing as Konohagakure ANBU. Orochimaru may possibly be involved. Four of our own are dead and we have a mountain of corpses we are still shifting through, attempting to get a possible ID on. We won a single battle, but the war is not over."_

 _"Lazy and brilliant, a seemingly useless combination, until it's put into focus," Asuma stated, a giant grin spread across his face. He'd never questioned Shikamaru's intelligence, only his drive, but the fire in his eyes now was plain as day._

 _"I don't want to hear any of this on the day of my sibling's funeral." Kankuro growled, turning to go back inside, but something tugged on the back of his shirt, stopping him in his tracks. He turned around ready to beat the hell out of whoever had grabbed him, but stopped seeing Rin, tears in her eyes, distraught._

 _"You cannot run from this Kankuro-kun," Rin nearly whimpered. "Temari-chan, Gaara-kun... they were not just your siblings. They were your best friends, and mine too. I do not know about you, but I am in agreement with Shikamaru-sama on this matter. Whether you fight or not, I am."_

 _Kankuro ripped himself away from the girl, muttering obscenities under his breath. He knew what happened the last time Orochimaru had entered his life. He wasn't going to be sentenced to that madman's hell again. If the others wished to enter into an unfathomable struggle they may not survive, that was on them. He was going to take no part in their delusions of grandeur. There would be no victory for them in any outcome._

 _Kankuro soon found himself back in the room where his siblings, Hinata, and Akiza all lie lifeless. The room was large to fit four caskets along with the horde of visitors for the service. The way the coordinator had planned it was for them all to be separated, but Kankuro had put his foot down to have them all together. Gaara's casket was the color of his hair, crimson red, donned with the acknowledgment of his title of Kazekage, and sat immediately to the left of Akiza's pitch black one. To the right of Akiza was Temari lying in her pine casket. Temari never liked showing off, and even in death Kankuro respected that. Then came Hinata to her right in a pearly white casket. Rin had picked that one out, and even though she barely knew the Hyuuga, Kankuro had to admit she hit the nail on the head with that choice._

 _Kankuro then noticed something glistening in Hinata's casket. He moved closer to inspect, spotting a ring upon a certain finger on her left hand. That was it, the thing that broke him. He'd thought the alcohol had done it's job in numbing his emotions, but that all too familiar tug at the back of throat made sure that it was noticed. He couldn't deny it any longer. The tears streamed down his face like a waterfall, crashing on the ground around him as he fell to his knees._

 _" _Hinata-chan?"Temari sounded shy, almost hesitant in saying her lover's name as she gazed upon the naked beauty underneath the tree where they had just consummated their love for one another.__

 _" _Yes, Temari-chan?" Hinata's response was instant as she stared into Temari's eyes. She swore, no matter the circumstance, she could get lost in those teal eyes forever.__

 _" _Will you... will you do me the honor of... being my wife?" Temari hadn't had experience with this sort of thing before. Every sensation with Hinata had been new to her, but she believed that if she belonged with anybody, it had to have been Hinata. She also was unsure of how the Hyuuga would respond. She figured rather than waste time, she be blunt. It had never failed her before.__

 _" _E-excuse me?" Hinata asked, sliding into a sitting position. "C-could you repeat that?" Hinata was sure she knew what Temari had been asking, but doubted the words even as they were spoken. There was a lot of things Temari could have said. 'Have you ever considered being a wife?' 'Would you do me the honor of helping me fight?' SO many different phrases that all sounded so alike, Hinata was sure she hadn't just heard what she thought she had.__

 _ _Temari fished through the many pouches attached to her clothing, finally pulling out something before turning to Hinata, taking one of the dark haired girls hands into her own. "Hinata-chan, would you do me the honor of being my wife? I know we only just got together, and I know a lot has happened, but I also know that I never want to be without you. I love you, and I want to be with you."__

 _ _Hinata didn't waste a second jumping on top of the blonde, kissing her passionately, pressing against her body, just to be closer to her beloved. She wrapped her arms around her lover's neck, falling into their kiss as they embraced.__

 _ _When they pulled apart, Temari's usual demeanor had returned. "So should I take that as a yes, or are you just looking to have sex again?" The smile upon her face gave evidence of the obvious joke, but Hinata didn't care.__

 _" _Yes, yes, a million times yes!" Hinata said straddling her Temari's waist.__

 _" _Was that a yes to the marriage proposal or the..."__

 _" _Yes, Temari-chan, I will marry you, now shut up and kiss me before I change my mind." Temari was shocked by the words the raven haired Hyuuga spoke, but responded to the request without question. She pulled the girl as close as possible, placing a loving kiss upon her lips.__

 _"Rin-chan, may I have a word with you?" Kankuro's voice came from just behind her. Even if she were angry with him, she still melted when she heard him call to her. She left Asuma, Shikamaru, and Kurenai behind, making her way to the man she adored._

 _"Yes, Kankuro-kun, what is it?" Rin saw the seriousness in his eyes and it frightened her to no end._

 _"Rin-chan... I'm going to step down as Kazekage," Kankuro began, staring deep into the young girl's eyes. "I am in no condition to hold that title, given the current state of affairs."_

 _Rin was overjoyed. She'd known him being named the successor to Gaara had been a huge strain on his already dampened mental state. She knew right from the get go that he'd been taking on more than he could possibly bear on his own, and taking the weight of the village off of him may help him recover from the tragedy he'd faced._

 _"I'm going to put in a request that you become the new Kazekage." Kankuro finished. He knew deep down that it was the right thing to do. Kankuro was teetering on the edge of reality and mind crippling insanity, he knew he was in no shape to serve as an entire village's leader._

 _Every semblance of serenity Rin had found was shattered the moment Kankuro spoke those words. She wasn't even of legal age to be considered and adult, let alone a ruler. The responsibility was far too great for a child like her. Before she could begin a word of protest, she saw Kankuro turning away from her. So many questions raced through her mind until one fell out of her lips without thought or hesitation. "Where are you going?"_

 _"I honestly don't rightfully know," Kankuro explained, continuing to walk down the hall, away from her. "I just know I cannot bear being here right now. Don't come looking for me either, Rin-chan. I want to be alone," and with those parting words, Kankuro vanished._

 _Rin stood in the hall, pale faced and scared. She didn't know what to do. Her sensei and only friends aside from Kankuro were both dead. She didn't know anybody at the wake personally, and she was at a loss for what to do._

 _How could Kankuro name her as the next Kazekage? It made little to no sense. Rin was but only a genin, a ninja trainee. She hadn't the knowledge nor the training to become someone so important and so revered. It was true that Gaara had been the youngest Kazekage ever, but if Kankuro had his wish, Rin would have that title soon enough._

 _'What am I going to do?' She thought to herself, taking a seat upon a nearby bench, trying to find her breath. 'Can I really disobey Kankuro-kun's wish?' Then she remembered all the alcohol he'd been consuming throughout the entire remembrance ceremony. 'That's it, he is just drunk. I'm sure once he sleeps it off, he will come to his senses and realize I cannot be the Kazekage.'_

 _"Rin-chan?" Shikamaru was standing before her with his usual laid back, half slouch stance. "I need a favor from you."_

 _'Not another one,' her mind screamed at her, still reeling from her meeting semi-discussion with Kankuro. "What is it, Shikamaru-sama?"_

 _"Please, no need for formalities, Rin-chan. I may be older and of higher ranking, but I much prefer it not being cascaded like a net. We're friends aren't we? Formalities are so troublesome." Shikamaru's words were earnest, but the annoyed tone of voice that accompanied every word was something Rin could hardly take seriously, but if it was what he wanted..._

 _"Awright, Shikamaru-kun, what is it I can do for you?" Rin asked, forcing a smile. She swore his annoyance was burrowing it's way into her, which was another problem she didn't quite need at the moment._

 _"That's a girl," Shikamaru chuckled, taking a seat next to Rin before turning to her, hoping she'd be able to help his current predicament. "Now, I saw how you and Kankuro-kun were, the love you have for each other..." Shock and fear radiated from Rin's face like the rays of the sun, so Shikamaru decided to address her concern before continuing. "I'm not one to judge, and, in all honesty, that kinda love, it ain't something that should be damned. You both have my blessing." Rin's anxiety relieved a little, but it was far from gone, still Shikamaru pressed on. "That love is why I think you are the perfect person to ask this favor of. I need you to assist me in changing Kankuro-kun's mind about this battle we have found ourselves in. I may be the leader of my village's ANBU, but there is only so much I could possibly do. I need his help."_

 _'Except you won't get it because he's asked me to be the Sixth Kazekage in his place!' Rin's mind screamed. Why was everybody dumping responsibilities on her? In the midst of everything else, Rin hadn't even been given a chance to grieve for her lost friends. Fighting the rouges, tending to Kankuro, and now Kankuro and Shikamaru's requests. It was all too much. She couldn't bear it anymore. The pressure was too great, and she needed to let it out._

 _Rin screamed. She screamed with all her might, covering her own ears with her palms as she dug her nails into the flesh hidden beneath her fiery red hair. She didn't care how it looked, or what people thought of her. She'd finally broken._

 _"Shikamaru, what the hell is going on?!" Kurenai asked, running as fast as she could to the pair in the hall._

 _"I don't know, she just started screaming!" Shikamaru shouted over the ear piercing roar that little Rin was now creating._

 _She screamed and screamed. She felt her jaw go numb, but she kept going. She didn't care. It was the only ease she'd had. She saw white flutters dance behind her sealed eyes, but she kept going. She felt her lungs burning, but she kept screaming. She screamed until she lost her breath and surrendered to the darkness that enveloped her._

 _Xxx_

 _Rin's eyes slowly opened as a hospital room came into view. She didn't know how she'd gotten there, but she didn't really care. She was away from Kankuro, away from the bodies of her fallen friends, away from Shikamaru. She was alone- or so she thought._

 _"Finally awake, huh?" It was Kurenai, sitting in one of the chairs at the edge of the bed. She wore a look of worry and satisfaction at the same time, causing Rin to wonder how that was even possible. "You gave us quite the scare back there, little one."_

 _"What happened?" Rin's voice was unexpectedly hoarse and she had no idea why. "What happened to my voice?"_

 _"A solid six minutes of screaming is what happened to your voice, hun," Kurenai explained to her. "I was hoping you could tell us why you were screaming in such a manner."_

 _"I...broke..." Rin didn't exactly know how to describe the sensation that had issued the scream, only the feeling of being overwhelmed._

 _"Broke?" Kurenai asked, sitting on the bed next to the girl, brushing some stray hairs out of her face. "Do you want to talk about it?"_

 _Did she? Rin knew Kurenai was a kind kunoichi, but she barely knew her. Could she tell such a stranger about her problems, about all the things running around her brain like ants on a chocolate bar? Could she divulge the secrets that were stinging at her heart like a horde of hornets? She was so hectic, so confused. She was so... lost._

 _A lot of people used that word to describe how they felt, but Rin now truly knew the meaning. Her life was no longer her own, it was riddled with heartache and bloodshed. She felt as though she were reading a book, but the pages were shredded and out of order, forming a ruined jigsaw puzzle where the pieces didn't fall as they should._

 _In a few days, she'd made love to the man she'd had a crush on for almost four years. She'd lost her best friend and sensei. She'd fought an entire platoon of men. She'd been asked to be the Kazekage, and she'd been asked to change Kankuro's opinion on a course of action that could lead the village right into a war, and tomorrow, she was going to have to bury the only person she'd ever felt had truly understand her._

 _"Look, we may not be the best of friends, but I am a good listener, sweetheart." Kurenai was usual strict and pushy, but she knew how to be comforting at the same time. It was a side that didn't show very often, but it was there._

 _Rin decided. She told Kurenai about Temari training her to be a kunoichi. She went on and on about how she'd loved Kankuro and when she'd finally got her chance to be with him, it already felt like she were losing him. Rin told her of both Shikamaru's and Kankuro's requests, and she told her how she hadn't been given a moment to breath, let alone grieve. She went on and on for what seemed like forever and by the time she was finish, Kurenai was holding her close, running her fingers through the girl's hair as Rin sobbed into her chest._

 _"That is a lot for someone so young," Kurenai spoke softly, in an effort to alleviate some of the young girls frustrations and fears. "You have had to endure in less than a week's time things most people will never experience in their entire lives" This felt all to familiar to Kurenai. She used to have discussions like these with her budding pupil, those days felt like they were so long ago now._

 _"I don't know what to do, Kurenai-sama," Rin sobbed, looking up into the older woman's eyes. "What should I do?"_

 _"I cannot answer that for you," Kurenai told her, wiping away a tear. "The only advice I can give you is to do what you believe to be the right thing to do. Don't think about Kankuro-kun, Shikamaru-kun, or the village. Do not concern yourself with the fear of a war, and don't let people tell you what to do. Do what you believe would be best for you, after that, let the pieces fall where they may."_

 _Rin knew Kurenai was right, but something played in her ear, something she hadn't heard since her battle. "Wipe away those tears, Rin-chan," Temari's voice echoed in her head. Suddenly the hospital room, Kurenai, everything around her vanished until she was laying in a dark, black space with nothing in sight. "Behind you."_

 _Rin didn't want to turn around. She didn't want to look into the face of the person she missed so dearly. She wanted so badly to act like nothing was there, like the void she'd entered was occupied by only her. Nothing else, no one else._

 _"Don't make me make you turn around, Rin-chan," The voice was stern, scolding, and very threatening. Slowly Rin turned around coming face to face with Temari. "That's better."_

 _"You're dead, Temari-sensei." Rin whimpered, averting her eyes from looking at the blonde._

 _"I may be dead, but I'm pretty sure if I really wanted to I could find a way to kick your ass," Jokes as always, but Rin knew the phantom actually meant the words it spoke. "Why are you crying?"_

 _"You know why, Temari-sensei." Deja vu, a creepy kind that sent chills down Rin's spine at the very thought._

 _"I know you're being a baby, but I don't know why my star pupil would act in such a manner." Temari scolded, kneeling next to Rin so that she was at eye level with the girl._

 _"I cannot become Kazekage!" Rin yelled at her. "That's why you're haunting me, isn't it? You think Kankuro-kun is right, that I should take Gaara-kun's place, but I cannot!"_

 _"Why do you believe that, Rin-chan?" Gaara materialized from thin air, looking down at the girl with a sympathetic expression. His monotone voice, his seafoam green eyes, the kanji upon his forehead. There was no mistaking whom the new specter was._

 _"I'm too young," Rin spoke softly, closing her eyes._

 _"I was young, as well," Gaara retorted._

 _"I'm too weak," Rin argued._

 _"Don't make me find a way to kick your ass, Rin-chan. You know I'll find a way." Temari's response was harsh, but Rin knew it came from a place of love._

 _"I am unskilled."_

 _"Never stopped me," Temari laughed, patting Rin on the back._

 _"I am too..."_

 _Gaara held up his hand, halting Rin mid-sentence. "There is nothing you are going to say to us that will make us doubt your ability to be Kazekage. You are afraid, which is understandable. I was too when I first started down the path to being Kazekage, but do not allow that fear to rule you."_

 _"Then what do you suggest I do, Gaara-kun?" Rin asked, her voice was hardly louder than a whisper at this point as her friends laid into her with their infinite wisdom._

 _"Fear, like anger, can be a powerful tool, Rin-chan," Temari explained to her. "You just have to learn how to use it."_

 _Temari and Gaara faded from the void, both casting smiles as the vanished into the air from which the had once come. Rin was back in the hospital bed. Back in Kurenai's arms. Back in the real world._

 _"I'm going to do it." Rin declared, using her arm to wipe away the remainder of her tears._

 _"Do what?" Kurenai asked, confusion written all over her face._

 _"I'm going to be the Sixth Kazekage."_


	6. Chapter 6 : Downfall

_Chapter 6_

 _"I'm appointing Rin Kurosama as the Sixth Kazekage." Kankuro declared standing before the Suna Council. "I believe her to be the only shinobi in all of the village to be fit for the task."_

 _"Is that girl not a genin?" Baki asked his former pupil._

 _"She is," Kankuro answered, meeting his former Sensei's eyes evenly. It hadn't been long since he was under the member's tutelage. They both had an undying, unwavering respect for each other. Baki had been one of the council members that had voted to secure Kankuro's current position and was very loyal to Team Kazekage._

 _"So you wish to appoint a Genin, a ninja trainee, to the status of Kazekage?" Ebizo inquired, narrowing his focus at the puppet master that now sat in the Kazekage's seat. "Have you gone mad, or are you simply foolish?"_

 _"It is in our laws that the Kazekage is allowed to step down and appoint a new leader, should the Kazekage find the appointed shinobi qualified." Kankuro stated, making eye contact with each member of the council. "I believe Rin-chan to be qualified."_

 _"And, of what, Kankuro-kun, does your belief stem from?" asked Goza. The council was all business. Kankuro knew that, but knowledge wasn't always power._

 _"Rin-chan defeated 40 other Ninja by herself. Most of those men and women were former ANBU, the best their village had to offer," Kankuro explained, passing out reports from the confrontation. "Quite a few of the shinobi were in our Bingo Book, and Rin-chan showed unyielding strength and skill while fending off the attackers. I do not believe any member of this council can boast of such an achievement."_

 _"A Kazekage has to be more than strong and skilled, Kankuro-kun," Baki countered, reading the reports. He was impressed, but not fully convinced. "The Kazekage is deemed the leader of all of Sunagakure. Other than strength and skill they must also be wise and ethical. Rin-chan's profile reveals her to only be fifteen years of age."_

 _"Age does not dictate wisdom," Kankuro scolded. "Someone who is a century old can have little to know wisdom, and the reverse could be said, and be just as true. Gaara-kun had been young when he'd been crowned Kazekage, yet was he not wise?"_

 _"You are very correct, Kankuro-kun." Baki smiled in earnest at the young puppet master. He'd come so far in such a short time. Baki could still remember when Kankuro had no thought or care for anyone except himself. When Kankuro thought he knew it all, but now... Now Kankuro understood something that can not be taught. He understood that ever person, no matter their status or training, had value. He saw Rin's value. This young man that sat before him, was in no way the child he had been when Baki had first taken him as a student. He was a true ninja now._

 _"We will discuss this further, Lord Kankuro-ue," Ebizo declared._

 _"I mean no disrespect, Ebizo-sama," Kankuro's voice was dull now, no longer was there the determination or authority he had spoken with before, "but please do not refer to me as the lord of this village. It is a title I have not earned nor do I wish to hold."_

 _"Very well, Kankuro-kun," Ebizo relented. "You are excused for the council's vote."_

 _Kankuro nodded, returning to his sleeping chambers, Gaara's former sleeping chambers. It all felt so surreal. Kankuro couldn't take his mind of his siblings. He knew in his mind they would not wish for him to be mourning their deaths so greatly, but his heart knew otherwise. It burned, it ached._

 _He felt as though he couldn't breathe. The entire world were against him. The council, the village, even himself. He was his own greatest enemy. Nothing felt right, everything was wrong. He was a mess, his hair frayed, dark bags under his eyes, his make-up, usually crisp and clean, was all wobbly and unfocused. Life was out to get him, Death lurking just around the corner._

 _He took his flask out from inside his jacket pocket, taking a large gulp of the searing alcohol. He'd been drinking ever since his siblings' passing, yet no matter how much he drank, or how drunk he got, he couldn't ease the pain. He couldn't set his mind at ease. He couldn't even sleep._

 _The mind is a terrible thing. It causes great anxiety and frustration over the most trivial of things. When something bad actually does happen, it completely goes on a binge of negativity until the end result is a wreck of a person. Kankuro knew that._

 _A knock on the door ripped Kankuro from his thoughts. "You may enter," He stated, setting the flask upon the bed where he sat. Baki stepped through the door, which Kankuro took to mean a bad omen. "Am I to assume you were sent to deliver the bad news that Rin-chan will not be appointed Kazekage?"_

 _"Actually," Baki said, noting the flask beside Kankuro, "We cannot come to an agreement one way or the other. There are twelve seats on the council, not including yours, and six of us are in agreement with your choice, the other six are not."_

 _"What does that mean then?" Kankuro asked, taking the flask back to his lips, gulping down what remained of it's contents. "Is she in or not?"_

 _"A situation similar to this has never occurred, the council is deadlocked on their choice," Baki explained sympathetically. "Do you truly believe her to be fit for the position?"_

 _"I do," Kankuro did not hesitate in his response. "She is."_

 _"Then I propose a test of her abilities." Baki stated, taking a seat that was never offered to him, at a desk. "We test her abilities as a shinobi. If she is to pass, she will become the Sixth Kazekage."_

 _"What sort of tests?" Kankuro asked, skeptical of Baki's decision. The man was noble, but brutal, and Kankuro had witnessed and endured that brutality first-hand. Baki made sure to bring out his student's potential, no matter the cost. That was why he was so well respected._

 _"Her wit, her knowledge, her skills. If she is as prepared as you believe her to be, then she should have no trouble at all with my tests." Baki explained, grinning at Kankuro before adding, "I promise not to hurt her... too much."_

 _xXx_

 _"I will be the sixth Kazekage!" Rin exclaimed, more to herself than to the empty desert around her. She couldn't believe how a simple discussion with the phantoms in her own mind had gifted her with so much overflowing confidence._

 _"It is because you are weak, Rin-chan," Temari's voice was singsong, egging her protege on. "It is because you are weak that you are able to accept this challenge upon your shoulders. It is because you are weak you were able to defeat forty other shinobi who were all of a higher ranking than you. It is because you are weak that you will become one of the best Kazekage Sunagakure has ever seen."_

 _Rin knew what Temari meant, recalling their conversation the first time she was able to achieve the Kamaitachi. Temari had taught her two lessons that day, and those lessons both stuck with the girl ever since._

 _"It is because I am weak that you became my sensei." Rin smiled as the desert faded into the abyss she recognized from the hospital._

 _"It is," Temari smiled back, walking up to the smaller girl, ruffling Rin's fiery red hair. "It is because you are weak that you will become a phenomenal kunoichi."_

 _"Weak Ninja are often the most dangerous," Gaara materialized into the abyss. His monotone voice was oh, so soothing to Rin. The Ninja whom are deemed weak are the ones who will fight until they have nothing left to give, then keep on fighting."_

 _Rin's smile then turned to a frown as her own thoughts began to dampen her mood. "Is that why you both passed away so untimely?"_

 _Gaara and Temari looked at each other, then back to Rin. Neither knew what to say to the girl who was obviously lost in misery. "Rin-chan," Gaara's monotone voice drew her attention to him immediately. "We do not regret our actions, nor would we change them. We did what we had to do and sulking is not going to change that."_

 _"Yeah," Temari chimed in. "Don't wallow in misery over us kid. We aren't upset about the outcome. We both died for the people we cared for, and there is no better way to go out than that."_

 _Suddenly two other figures materialized in the dark blue abyss the three currently inhabited. Rin didn't quite recognize the blue haired female next to Gaara, but she did make out the raven haired Hyuuga that had been in Gaara's chambers._

 _"You're all together?" Rin asked as she gazed in wonder at the foursome. "Of course you are. You're only an illusion. Just a figment of my imagination that-" Rin was cut off as Temari punched her in the face, sending her to the ground. "Ow, what the hell?"_

 _"Still think we're just an illusion?" Temari asked, smirking a little._

 _"Now Temari-chan, you know that was unnecessary," Hinata scolded the blonde as a child. "You could have hurt the poor girl."_

 _"Ah, she can take it," Temari chuckled, waving Hinata down. "She was my student after all."_

 _"I'm sure Temari-chan gave her a hard time then as well," The blue haired girl spoke._

 _"My sister always was very rash." Gaara chuckled._

 _All eyes were on Rin now as she attempted to scramble to her feet. Every time she she attempted she felt as though she were slipping on ice that wasn't there. She'd been SO sure that they had been an illusion all this time, but now she had her doubts. The pain in her cheek was real. Her being laid out was real. Illusions couldn't do that._

 _"You're real..." It was all Rin could even attempt to formulate as she finally found her footing. "You died... how can you be real."_

 _"I always told you that you were special, Rin-chan." Temari smiled at her, taking a knee before her so they were at eye-level. "I just never quite understood how special. You have the ability to see, converse, and feel spirits of the dead. It is a gift very few people have ever possessed."_

 _"I thought I was just going crazy..." Rin replied shocked. She was still trying to process the information. A gift that very few people have. Was she really that special? She'd never been able to see people who had passed on before Temari and Gaara._

 _"I assure you, you are not crazy," Gaara stated, deadpan. "And to answer your next question, the reason you are able to see us and no other spirits, except the two that accompany us, is due to your strong connection with us. You have known us most of your life, thus your feelings are able to connect to us in the afterlife."_

 _"It is a double-edged sword though, Rin-chan," Temari informed her, taking the girl's hand in her own. "This ability takes a massive amount of chakra from you, due to it never turning off. That is why it was such a challenge for you to learn the wind-style techniques I taught you. Your chakra levels are constantly on a decline."_

 _"Meaning that, if you are not careful, you will kill yourself by overextending your chakra." Gaara was blunt, but some cases demanded he be so. "You only have so much, and once it is depleted completely, you will forfeit your life."_

 _"I'm not worried about that though," Temari smirked at Rin as pride radiated from her soul. "Even with this ability, even with your chakra always depleting, and even after a fight were you cast numerous jutsu, you still were able to pull off a super-sized Cyclone of Destruction. That is no small task, you are truly one of a kind, Rin-chan."_

 _"It is because you are weak." Gaara's words trailed off as Rin landed back in the desert with the setting sun._

 _She cursed herself mentally. She didn't have full control over the ability yet. She couldn't believe what she'd been told, but now that she did know of it, she would do her best to learn to control it. She had a nagging feeling that the more time she spent in the abyss, the stronger she would become._

 _The golden yellow light was beginning to fade as Rin turned back to the trail that lead to her village. She now had a goal. Multiple goals. All seemingly impossible to accomplish. Learn to control her new found power. Become Kazekage. Avenge Temari and Gaara._

 _The future would be a challenge._


	7. Chapter 7 : Welcome To My Life

_Chapter 7_

 _"Rin-chan, wake up," Kankuro said as he stood over the young girl. "What are you dong sleeping out here in the middle of nowhere?"_

 _Rin's eyes fluttered open as she gazed upon her love's face against the black night's sky. "Wha?" She sat up and took in her surroundings. She was in the middle of the desert, laying slightly off the road that lead to Sunagakure. "I must've fainted. Temari-sensei warned me this would happen."_

 _"What did you just say?" Kankuro asked her, kneeling beside the red head to look directly into her eyes. "What about my sister?"_

 _Rin panicked. She hadn't meant to mention that to him quite yet, at least not before she'd learned to control it. What was she to tell him? She saw the spirits of his siblings? His brother and sister had just passed away and he hadn't really shown any progress of his grieving for either. She figured she'd take a page from Temari's playbook, the blunt way was the best way. "Gaara-kun and Temari-sensei. I can communicate with their spirits... or something like that."_

 _"I do not have time for childish games, Rin-chan." Kankuro scolded, rising to his feet. He wanted whole heatedly to believe her, but the fact was nobody could communicate with the dead without raising their corpse. "Let's get you home."_

 _"It's true, Kankuro-kun!" Rin exclaimed, anger welling up inside her. "I can't control it yet, and I'm not sure how it works, but I'm telling you the truth!"_

 _"Of course you are," Kankuro sighed, shaking his head. 'Maybe she isn't fit to be Kazekage after all...' the thought jumped into his mind before he was able to stop it. He didn't want the title, and now the only ninja he could conceive to lead this village was talking like a mad woman. "We need to get you home, it's late." He repeated, taking her hand._

 _"I can walk myself!" Rin glared at him with a look that even made Kankuro shiver a bit. He'd never seen an expression on her such as that one before. Perhaps sweet and innocent Rin wasn't so sweet and innocent anymore._

 _"Fine," Kankuro scoffed, lighting a cigarette. "Baki-kun is going to begin testing your ability as Kazekage tomorrow, I hope you are prepared. I don't even know what his tests will consist of, but I know he was a merciless sensei. I highly doubt he's going to go easy on you while testing you to be a Kazekage."_

 _Kankuro began to walk away and Rin wanted so badly to ask him to stay, but her pride wouldn't allow it. If she was to be Kazekage she couldn't afford to show any signs of weakness to a single living soul. She watched longingly as Kankuro faded into the sand._

 _"Ya know, you're never gonna be able to keep a man if you keep acting like that towards them." Temari's voice giggled in Rin's ear._

 _"He didn't believe me about you." Rin nearly whimpered out loud._

 _"You think anybody will right off the bat?" Temari's voice asked. "They're all guaranteed to think your nuts, but do not allow that to deter you, Rin-chan. Prove everybody wrong."_

 _Rin began walking back to the village alone, accompanied only by the phantom in her head. "How am I supposed to know I'm not?" She asked Temari, keeping her voice low._

 _"Do I have to kick your ass again to prove I'm not just a figment of your imagination? 'Cuz I will, and this time you'll be lucky to escape with just a bruised cheek."_

 _Rin smiled at that. "Dead and buried and you're still kicking my ass."_

 _"Comes with the job," Temari chuckled._

 _Then something popped into Rin's mind as she rounded a corner in the village, slowly making her way to her house. "How come I can't see you right now?"_

 _"A few reasons," Temari said, matter-of-factually. "One, your chakra is too low to make me materialize. Two, even if your chakra were high enough, your ability isn't focused enough. And three, you're too tired."_

 _"I don't feel tired," Rin said, attempting to quietly open the door to her parent's spa. She had just made it through the doorway when something pounced on her, pinning her to the ground._

 _"Where were you?!" Rin's mother's voice was stern, demanding, and terrifying._

 _"I fell asleep in the desert!" Rin cried out, squirming in her mother's grasp. "I swear!"_

 _"Why should I believe you?" her mother asked, yanking Rin's arm behind her back, causing pain to sear through Rin's entire right side._

 _"Kankuro-sama found me!" Rin screamed, finally breaking her arm free. "He found me in the desert, he offered to walk me home, but I declined!"_

 _"Kankuro-sama," Rin's mother let her daughter up, smirking as her daughter re-adjusted her arm. "How is he?"_

 _"He's okay, I guess," Rin said, putting her scroll on the table by the couch. "He's still broken up."_

 _"I am certain he is, I cannot imagine how I would react if someone in my family were murdered." Mrs. Kurosama sighed, "That poor boy."_

 _"He want's me to become the new Kazekage in his place." Rin couldn't stop herself. The words fell from her lips without thought behind them._

 _"What?!" Mrs. Kurosama moved to directly in front of her daughter. "He wants you, a genin, to become this village's next Kazekage?! Has he lost his mind?"_

 _"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, mom." Rin stated dryly, moving past her mother, heading for her room._

 _"No, that is great honey, but still," her mother was following her, much to Rin's dismay. "I believe in you, but are you sure that you're prepared for such an important role?"_

 _"My sensei believes I am."_

 _"Kushki-kun has said nothing to me on this matter," Mrs Kurosama stated as her daughter entered her room._

 _"Not Kushki-sensei," Rin said, falling onto her bed. "Temari-sensei."_

 _"Temari-sama was not your sensei. How long are you going to cling to that story?" Mrs. Kurosama stood in Rin's doorway staring at her daughter in disbelief._

 _"It's not a goddamned story! Why does everybody today think I'm lying?" Rin exclaimed, grabbing a giant fan that leaned against the wall by her bed. "At least this one I can prove."_

 _"How do you expect to accomplish that?" Mrs. Kurosama asked, smirking at her daughter._

 _"Like this!" Rin exclaimed, opening the fan, pulling it back with one arm. "Kamaitachi! Slicing wind blades." Rin barely put any force into the blow, but it was enough to send her mother flying across the hall into the opposite wall._

 _After insuring her mother was unharmed, Rin helped her to her feet. "That was Temari-sama's technique, how did you learn to-"_

 _"I told you, she was my sensei." Rin said. "And I believe that makes up for that sneak attack earlier."_

 _"So we're tied again?" Mrs. Kurosama chuckled._

 _"Guess so, now I need to rest, mom." Rin said, closing her door on her mother's face, falling on her bed._

 _"Why did you never tell me she didn't believe I was your sensei?" Temari asked, appearing on the bed next to Rin._

 _"Have you been here this entire time?" Rin asked, looking Temari in the eyes, sighing when the blonde nodded. "I guess it didn't matter at the time that she didn't believe me because I knew the truth."_

 _"Yet it matters now?" Temari asked, rolling onto her back, looking up at the ceiling._

 _"I guess," Rin spoke quietly. "Perhaps it's due to you no longer being here to prove her wrong."_

 _"Or prove Kankuro-kun wrong," Temari said, nudging Rin._

 _"One issue at a time, please, Sensei?" Rin asked, falling onto her back right next to Temari._

 _"You can't have that attitude as Kazekage, hun." Temari's voice was attempting to be soothing, but Rin could tell it was still new territory for Temari._

 _"One issue at a time," Rin repeat. Too many thoughts were in her mind. Kankuro fading away. Becoming Kazekage. Baki's tests. So many challenges for such a young soul to endure. The only comfort was Temari and Gaara's presence. She could still see them, still converse with them, so not everything was lost._

 _"Close your eye, Rin-chan." Temari instructed. Rin looked like she was about to question Temari, but a single look shut any protest down and Rin complied. "Stop fretting, stop worrying, stop questioning. Set your mind at ease, drift into peace, allow yourself to sleep."_

 _" _Let's go, Rin-chan. Today is your first mission!" Temari called to her pupil. "You're slowing us down!"__

 _ _Rin ran up to her, trying to catch the same stride, but she kept falling behind her sensei. "You still haven't told me what the mission is!"Rin cried as she pushed herself harder and harder to keep up.__

 _" _I told you, you'll find out when we get there," Temari smirked, watching Rin run as hard as she could.__

 _" _Right," Rin breathed out, trying desperately to fill her oxygen deprived lungs. She was a lot smaller than Temari, her stride were shorter, her body much less honed.__

 _ _After another ten minutes at a dead sprint, Temari told Rin they had reached their destination. "You have exactly 60 seconds to recover, then the mission begins."__

 _ _Rin collapsed in a heap, frantically fumbling with her water bottle, dumping the contents down her scorched throat as fast as she could drink it down. "What... what are we doing?" Rin panted as she huffed and puffed.__

 _" _Skill test," Temari smirked, whistling a signal. "Here's your opponent."__

 _ _Rin looked across the sandy landscape to see Gaara standing across the way. "I have to fight the Kazekage?!" Rin exclaimed, looking at Temari in shock. "Is this some kind of joke sensei?"__

 _" _Nope," Temari said, pulling Rin to her feet. "Times up, get to it."__

 _" _Hello, Rin-chan. Temari-chan has told me much of you. She also instructed me not to hold back. I apologize in advanced." Gaara's monotone voice shook through the little girl as a giant sand fist appeared above him. The millisecond before it collided with her, Rin jumped out of the way.__

 _ _She was unsure what to do. She knew he was leagues ahead of her abilities, but if she didn't fight she would be disobeying an order Temari had issued, which she knew all too well was a huge mistake. She was flipping through possible scenarios in her mind when sand encased her body, squeezing her tightly. Time for thinking was over. It was time to act now.__

 _ _Rin quickly focused her chakra to her chest, then surrounded her entire exterior. "GALEFORCE BURST!" The chakra on her body exploded outward, tearing the Sand coffin to shreds.__


	8. Chapter 8 : Things I'll Never Say

_Chapter 8_

 _" _Galeforce?" Gaara asked, looking at his sister in confusion. "I've never heard of such a technique."__

 _" _Don't look at me," Temari shrugged, glancing back at her brother. "That lil' spitfire has come up with a lot of her own jutsu."__

 _" _She's a genin," Gaara stated dryly, yet wasn't convinced of his own words. Very few people had ever broken out of his Sand Coffin. No one had ever done it that easy. Regardless of rank, the girl had power, and it was Gaara's job to test her ability with it. "Let us make this interesting then, shall we?"__

 _ _Rin's eyebrow peaked as she stared down her opponent, fan already drawn back. "How do you propose we do that, Gaara-ue?"__

 _" _You're only allowed to attack me with your own jutsu. Nothing I have seen before our battle here." Gaara said, drawing a line in the sand beneath him with a kunai. "You win once you cross this line."__

 _" _Sounds easy enough," Rin said, ready for combat.__

 _" _You've never fought my brother, little girl." Temari chuckled, sitting a safe distance away. Both combatants used distance to their advantage. This was sure to be worth the watch.__

 _" _Let's do this," Rin said, charging at Gaara at full speed. That was going to be her most useful tool in this fight. She knew she hadn't the endurance after the five kilometer run to the location and the only way she would win was if she could do this quickly. 'They're watching me... waiting for me to screw up, but little do they know I have a few tricks up my sleeve not even Temari-sensei knows about.'__

 _ _Rin had just about reached Gaara when a fist made out of sand slammed down right in front of her. She adjusted her speed just right to avoid being crushed before focusing chakra to her feet, running up it as she'd practiced so many times. She was almost at the top when it became unstable and began to crumble. She used an instant rush of chakra to push herself off, back flipping through the air, landing further away from her target than she had began. 'Too much chakra.'__

 _ _Rin planned out a new strategy, gathering wind in her palm she focused it into a solid form, hurling a ball of energy at Gaara whose sand reacted instantaneously to the attack, blocking him from damage. That gave her an idea. She focused another ball of wind to her hand, getting ready for her assault.__

 _ _Once she was sure she'd thought everything out, she launched into action, running head on at Gaara again. "This trick again?" Gaara asked with a huff as he focused his chakra laced sand into another fist, slamming it right in front of Rin, narrowly missing her yet again, but this time she had been prepared and had launched off the top before Gaara had released the solidity of it. Gaara watched intently as a ball of energy zoomed toward his face. 'I see.' He quickly crouched to all fours, dodging the blast, and shot a blast of sand at Rin who was already launching another attack.__

 _" _Galeforce Bombardment!" Rin whipped her fan around, sending projectiles of solidified wind whipping past Gaara in every direction. She watched as he encased himself in a cocoon of sand which mended itself within an instant of being broken apart. She then realized she couldn't see the mark in the sand. She couldn't find where she had to pass, and she was still airborne.__

 _ _Suddenly a sandstorm began raging through the area, cloaking Rin in sand. She understood all too late what it was. A clustered sand coffin drug her to the ground in a flash, slamming her against the desert's earth. Blood spurted from her mouth when she landed, leaking slowly from the left side of her lip. Now she knew why Temari had worn her out, and why she'd called this a skill test.__

 _ _Rin's true strength had never been tested fully. This was exactly that. A measure of her limits. A way to see if Rin was worth being Temari's student. An expulsion test.__

 _ _This infuriated Rin. There was no hope she had of defeating the Kazekage, even at full strength, she could never even hope to scratch him. He was impenetrable. 'He may be an immovable object,' Rin thought as she rose to her feet, 'but a Galeforce wind is an unstoppable force. Let's see what happens when the two collide!'__

 _ _Rin glared at the cocoon Gaara was still encased in. He wanted to see a new jutsu, she'd gladly show him one. She moved her fan to her back, using her hands to create the sign of the rat. She focused as much chakra as she could afford to spare into her body, and it encased her in an armor that was made entirely out of wind, but as hard as steel. "Galeforce Armor, FORM!" She was completely shrouded in wind as she took aim at the cocoon. She charged, headfirst toward it, dodging the several attempts Gaara had made to halt her advance. Once she was at top speed she collided with the cocoon as hard as she could.__

 _" _GALEFORCE ARMOR! SHRAPNEL DISPERSION!"__

 _ _A loud Boom sounded, causing Temari to jump to her feet. So much dust had kicked up around the two Temari couldn't see anything. She hoped that both were okay, but an explosion of that magnitude Rin had just accomplished was no easy feat, especially with a wind-style jutsu.__

 _" _SAND COFFIN!" Gaara's voice boomed as sand zoomed toward Rin.__

 _" _GALEFORCE WHIRLWIND!" Rin's scream rang out, whipping her fan around, keeping the Sand at bay. 'I'm running out of Chakra.' Rin thought, eyeing the mark on the ground beneath Gaara's feet. She'd succeeded in destroying Gaara's defense, but now he was on the offensive and she didn't have a counter. Then a thought struck her. It was the simplest answer in the world, she couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it sooner.__

 _" _GALEFORCE HURRICANE!" Rin screamed, aiming the blast at the ground, becoming airborn yet again. Whilst in the air she whipped her body around, looking behind herself. She'd shot up over the dust the explosion had caused and saw Temari about a kilometer away. She winked to her Sensei before whipping her fan around "GALEFORCE WHIRLWIND!" Temari had always taught her to hold her ground, even when airborne, but now she allowed the wind to force her in the opposite direction, zooming over the cloud, past Gaara, nearly half a Kilometer on the other side of him.__

 _ _She landed on her feet, looking back at her Kazekage with the biggest grin she could muster before shouting over to him. "I win, Gaara-ue."__

 _ _Not many things brought a smile to Gaara's face, but seeing that little girl standing proudly, waving her arm at him, the curl upon his lips couldn't be helped. She had not only accomplished her goal, but she'd outsmarted the Kazekage at the same time.__

 _" _Indeed you have, Rin, indeed you have."__

 _Rin awoke in her bed full of energy. It had been a long time since she'd recalled the battle with Gaara and her ability to accomplish it._

 _"Sleep well?" Gaara's voice was unmistakable._

 _"EEK!" Rin shrieked as she fell out of bed. "How long have you been there?"_

 _"Only since you opened your eyes," Gaara answered, helping the girl to her feet. "The smile on your face is what gave away that you slept pleasantly."_

 _"I recalled our battle, back in the desert," Rin explained to him, stretching. "I guess it's because of the upcoming Kazekage tests, but I think it helped ease my mind a little bit."_

 _"I see," Gaara contemplated, "Perhaps you are prepared for any trial given how Temari-chan had trained you."_

 _"I suppose." Rin said, stripping half-mindedly, causing Gaara to blush slightly and turn away._

 _"You could have warned me you were doing that," Gaara said dryly, regaining his composure._

 _It took a moment for Rin to understand what it was he meant, but when she did, her face began to match her red hair. "Well, I'm sorry! I'm not used to having people in my room the moment I wake up! Don't ghosts sleep?!"_

 _A knock on Rin's door interrupted their conversation as Mrs. Kurosama's voice came through. "Rin-chan, honey, are you okay?! Did you fall out of bed again?"_

 _"Again?" Rin didn't need to see Gaara's face to know that his eyebrow was raised in an interested fashion._

 _"Yea, I did, Mom," Rin said through the door as she attempted to slap Gaara on the back of the head, which he dodged easily. "I'm okay though, I'll be down in a minute!"_

 _Once Mrs. Kurosama was gone Rin turned back to Gaara, anger written all over her face. "So how many times have you fallen out of bed Rin-chan?" Gaara's voice was monotone, but the taunt was obvious._

 _"Screw you," Rin growled, hurriedly changing into a new set of clothes similar to her others, minus the fishnets. "You also never answered my question," Rin glared at him when she was finished changing. "Don't ghosts sleep?"_

 _"We are not ghosts, Rin-chan," Gaara stated, following her down the stairs that lead to her front door._

 _"So, what then, zombies?" Rin asked, grabbing the scroll that housed her fan in it._

 _"Zombies would imply other people could see and hear us. It would also imply we were walking monstrous creatures that devoured flesh, which you can tell is not the case." Gaara stated matter of factually, following Rin through the opened front door._

 _"Then what are you?" Rin asked, jumping onto a neighboring building, knowing full well Gaara would follow her, sure enough he did, but not in the way she had expected. She'd half expected him to simply float up to her, but instead he jumped with her. There was no sign of his body having been on the ground where he'd taken off from, but he also seemed to not be what Rin had thought._

 _"We're... the best word I can use to describe it is Spiritual entities, but even that is not entirely accurate." Gaara shrugged, using his thumb to point to the Kazekage Mansion. "Is that not where you were headed to for your Kazekage exams?"_

 _Rin nodded before focusing chakra to her feet, jumping from building to building. "How would you describe it?" She asked, looking at the crimson headed 'spiritual entity' running beside her._

 _"Well, while we are with you we still have limits, and unfortunately with you seems to be about the only thing to normal we have." Gaara explained. When Rin looked puzzled, Gaara decided to continue. "Aki-chan, Temari-chan, Hinata-chan, and I are in a separate realm, one where our day to day lives continue, however, we all know we have passed on, heir go being in said realm feels very unsettling. We do our best to make the most of it, but we'd prefer coming here whenever you have the power to bring us."_

 _"Bring you?" Rin asked, as they neared the mansion. "My 'power' I have no control over rips you guys from the realm you are in and brings you here?"_

 _Gaara nodded, coming to a halt atop the Kazekage mansion. "Indeed, this ability you posses takes things from one realm and brings them here, but you are the only shinobi we know of to have this gift, so nobody else would be able to see whatever it is you bring here. Temari-chan seems to think it's mostly due to the bond we all share. You can see us due to our bond with you, and you can see Aki-chan and Hinata-chan due to our bond with them."_

 _"Makes about as much sense as anything else I suppose." Rin sighed, hopping from the roof she was on to the front door of the mansion. "However, you had better get going, Gaara-kun." Rin looked at him with obvious uncertainty in her eyes. "I'm gonna need my chakra and concentration to pass these tests."_

 _"Rin-chan, I cannot go anywhere until your power lets me."_

 _"But I cannot control it!" Rin cried out to which Gaara gave an understanding nod. "Fuck."_

 _"Rin-chan?" Kankuro was there awaiting her arrival. "Who is it you are screaming at?" She could smell the alcohol upon his clothing. His breath alone made her nauseous. The mixture of cigarettes and sake always left it's putrid smell upon one. He was drunk._

 _"Are you asking so you can tell me I am lying again?" Rin huffed, stomping past him. "Go ahead, tell me I'm insane, attempt to cause me a lapse in what I already know to be true."_

 _"That was never an intention of mine, I can assure you." Kankuro stated in what he'd hoped was a soothing tone. In his current inebriated state, he couldn't quite tell if it came off as so. "Though a delusion that you are communicating with spirits is not a healthy one to have."_

 _"But the delusion that you're making me feel better when all you are currently accomplishing is pissing me off more is perfectly fine?" Rin growled at him, standing on her tip toes so her face was mere centimeters from his. "Because that is clearly the one you are indulging currently."_

 _"Then allow me leave," Kankuro stared into those eyes he adored. He knew she'd still be angry with him, but he couldn't allow her to be the next Kazekage whilst she believed the fairy tail she'd concocted for herself. "I am sorry to have angered you further."_

 _She wanted him here. Her heart needed to know he was there, but her emotions were already frayed and Kankuro's current condition was not helping matters in the slightest. How long would this fight be unresolved? She didn't know the answer, but she stepped aside, giving him room to leave her by herself... almost by herself._

 _"Looks like my brother needs a crash course in the better sex, huh?" Temari chimed as she fell on Rin's back, knocking the little girl to the ground, hitting her head."_

 _"Damn, ya know for a spiritual entity, you're heavy." Rin groaned, rubbing her forehead._

 _Temari shrugged as she continued what she had been saying. "You never tell a crazy little girl she's crazy." Temari smirked at Rin as she climbed to her feet._

 _"So I am crazy then?" Rin questioned Temari._

 _"Only crazy in love, but not crazy in the sense that you live in a delusion." When Rin's eyebrow peaked, Temari chuckled. "Oh, please. Your heart is beating so hard I can practically hear it."_

 _"It's because I'm ticked off." Rin countered_

 _"Then it wouldn't happen every single time Kankuro-kun is around." Temari smiled at Rin, ruffling her hair. "You're head over heels for him, and it's cuter than hell watching you attempt to shield it with anger."_

 _"If he believed me about you guys, perhaps I wouldn't be so mad." Rin huffed, walking into the mansion._

 _"I believe Temari-chan has already explained to you that people cannot simply accept a such unbelievable claim right away." It was the raven haired kunoichi that had been in Gaara's chambers when Rin had been sent to gather Temari and Kankuro._

 _"Who is she?" Rin asked._

 _"Ah, that's right, you two, haven't been fully introduced. Rin-chan, this is Hinata-chan. She's my... uh..."_

 _"She's your lover," Rin stated dryly, stealing a glance at the blonde kunoichi who tripped over herself with a look of disbelief on her face. "Oh, come on, Temari-chan," Rin smirked, "Your heart is beating so hard I can practically hear it."_

 _As she neared the front desk she motioned for the ladies to be quiet whilst she spoke to the receptionist. "I'm here to see the council, Rin Kurosama."_

 _"Ah, Rin-chan. Right this way." The receptionist opened the door behind her, leading Rin to a room that seemed like a waiting area. "Baki-sama will be with you shortly."_

 _Rin nodded as the receptionist left the trio alone before she turned back to Temari who still had a puzzled look upon her face. "I'm not so young I don't know about lesbians."_

 _"Well, I would certainly hope not. You are the only proposed ninja to be Suna's next Kazekage." Baki chuckled as he entered the room, causing Rin to blush crimson._

 _"I apologize, Baki-sensei!" Rin scrambled to her feet. "I do not know what came over me to make such a crude outburst like that!"_

 _"It's quite alright, Rin-chan." Baki smirked. "You're still young, you are entitled to mistakes for quite some time. You know why it is you are here, correct?"_

 _"Kankuro-sama told me you doubt my abilities to be a Kazekage and wish to test me." Rin stated as formally as she could._

 _"Ah, well stated. Shall we get started?"_


	9. Chapter 9 : One For The Money

_Chapter 9_

 _Kankuro groaned as he opened a fresh bottle of sake. He'd known going to see Rin drunk was not the greatest idea in the world, but he couldn't help it. He had wanted her to know she had support, but he'd ended up making things worse in the long run._

 _A sudden knock at the door broke Kankuro from his lamenting. He slowly moved toward it trying to sense who may be behind it, but the alcohol had numbed him very well. He settled for the old fashioned method. "Who is there."_

 _A single solemn word was received from the outer side of the door. "Shikamaru."_

 _Kankuro moved away from the door, back over to the bed of his single roomed apartment before answering. "Come in."_

 _As Shikamaru opened the door, sunlight flooded in, chasing away the darkness causing Kankuro to groan again. "Is everything awright?" Shikamaru asked, noting the empty alcohol bottles all over the place, as well as the mountain of burnt out cigarettes in the ashtray upon Kankuro's bedside table._

 _"Shut the damn door, Shikamaru-kun. The light is agitating my headache." Kankuro demanded, but regretted it instantaneously. The curl upon Shikamaru's lips already told Kankuro what the man was about to do and braced himself as Shikamaru slammed to door to that apartment._

 _Seeing the wince of pain, Shikamaru chuckled a bit. "Doesn't pay to get drunk like that, now does it?"_

 _"You should know." Kankuro snapped back with a glare._

 _"Never drank that much, my friend. Only enough to numb, not enough to have a hangover the next day." Shikamaru grabbed a chair from the small table, dragging it along the floor, much to Kankuro's discontent, and sat in it facing the new town drunk. "You can't go on like this forever, Kankuro-kun."_

 _"Who said I had planned to?" Kankuro asked, forcing himself into a sitting position, facing Shikamaru. "I just..."_

 _"Dont wanna feel anything right now?" Shikamaru asked. When Kankuro nodded he decided to continue. "What a sad, sorry shell of your former self you have become."_

 _"Don't patronize me, Shikamaru-kun."_

 _"I needn't. Eventually anger at yourself will do that for me. You're pathetic." Shikamaru said in a nonchalant way. He stood up to leave. "You're useless in this state."_

 _Kankuro didn't waste a second. He lept off the bed, right hand curled into a fist, already swinging at Shikamaru who looped his arm around Kankuro's attacking one, pinning Kankuro against a wall. "How fucking dare you, Shikamaru-kun?"_

 _"Because if I didn't, I couldn't have gotten through to you. You're too hot-headed and brash to listen to reasoning so I had to force it into your skull." Shikamaru's monotone voice remained as Kankuro struggled against him. "Gaara-ue is dead. Hinata-chan is dead. Temari-chan is dead. So many lives were lost yet you're too bothered wallowing in your own misery to understand that. They are gone. They are not coming back." Shikamaru threw Kankuro to his bed glaring at him. "You couldn't even step up as Gaara-ue had asked and become Kazekage."_

 _"Rin-chan will be the Kazekage." Kankuro's tone was low as he looked down, defeated._

 _"So you haven't heard."_

 _"Heard what? Is Rin-chan okay? Did Baki-sensei harm her?"_

 _"Rin arrived at her trials, but immediately turned Baki-sama down. Kurenai-sama went to check her house and her mother informed her that Rin-chan had left carrying a bag saying she was going on a mission for her trial." Shikamaru explained. "She's not on any known mission for the village, nor is she executing her trials."_

 _Realization hit Kankuro like a freight train. "She's going after them. By herself."_

 _"And something tells me she's going to need some help." Shikamaru scolded. His monotone was gone. "Now are you just gonna sit around here, drinking yourself into oblivion, waiting for them to find her body, or are you gonna come with Kurenai-sama, Asuma-sama, and myself to find her?"_

 _Kankuro rose to his feet, stumbling a moment before regaining his balance, a fire in his eyes. "Let's go."_

 _Shikamaru wanted to laugh at him. He was clearly drunk and in no shape to lead a rescue mission. "Not now. For now you rest. We promise not to leave without you."_

 _"But every moment we waste..."_

 _"Is another moment for planning. We are not just finding a little girl out on her own, we are entering the lion's den and there is no real way to know what it is we are going to walk into. Wasn't it Rin-chan who decimated the 40 members that were in this village?" Shikamaru's tone was direct, not wasting any shred of sympathy. "She can handle herself. Besides, we need to await our fifth member."_

 _"Who is that?" Kankuro asked_

 _"Sakura-chan is joining us."_

 _xXx_

 _"Rin-chan, are you sure you've thought this through?" Gaara asked for the umpteenth time since she'd told Baki she didn't want to be Kazekage. "This doesn't seem very wise."_

 _"It's something I need to do." Rin reassured him as best she could. "They'll be coming after me once they realize who it was that thinned out their numbers so drastically and I cannot allow them to put anyone else in danger."_

 _"Spoken like a Kazekage." Gaara lamented._

 _"Not yet." Rin sighed, taking a seat on a large boulder she'd found. It had been just over 4 hours since she'd started her trip, but she already felt drained. Something told her having Gaara along for the ride wasn't helping matters any._

 _She reached into her bag, pulling out her thermos, drinking the water it contained heavily. She knew she had to conserve her rations but the mixed with the tiring walk was already proving to be a bit too much for her._ _ _How am I ever to achieve what I set out to do if I feel this out of it after only a few hours?__

 _"What's the matter, kiddo?" Temari's voice was clear and very sing song. "You seem down."_

 _"Just doubting myself as usual." Rin sighed. She'd grown so accustomed to Temari and Gaara fading in and out that it no longer bothered her when they had. She didn't know whether to be relieved or terrified at this development, but it was clearly the least of her worries._

 _"You shouldn't doubt yourself." That was Hinata's soft voice._

 _"You two don't seem to realize what it is I have done. You disappeared before my conversation with Baki-sama." Rin sighed again, placing her thermos back into her bag. "I'm officially a rouge ninja."_

 _"So?" Temari huffed, getting in Rin's face. "It's not like you went rogue after they found you doing something forbidden, is it?"_

 _"No, but..."_

 _"No buts. Rin-chan, why are you doing this?" Temari demanded. The look on her face already told Rin not to backtalk of ignore her._

 _"To avenge you and keep the village safe." Rin said softly. Even though she was dead, she still feared her sensei and had no doubt that if Temari really wanted to she would find away to beat the hell out of Rin._

 _"Exactly." Temari smiled. "You're not doing this out of some personal gain. You won't turn on the village, and given your ranking and your age, if the village does send someone out to get you, it will more than likely be Kankuro-kun doing the sending."_

 _ _Kankuro-kun.__ _She hadn't told him anything. She just left. After a fight. He was going to think she too had abandoned him._

 _"If he truly loves you, he will understand." Hinata spoke softly, kneeling next to Rin. "Trust me."_

 _"Are you a mind reader now too?" Rin asked Hinata with a chuckle._

 _"No, but I could see it written all over your face when Temari-chan said his name." Hinata smiled at the you kunoichi. "You'll see him again, and you will explain everything to him. If he truly loves you, he will understand."_

 _"My brother may be hot-headed, but he's not entirely stupid." Temari reassured her. "He's crazy about you. I'm sure he'll welcome you back with open arms then you'll open your-"_

 _"Aaaaaaany way, Temari-chan is right." Hinata interupted her partner knowing full well what was about to come out of her mouth was less than decent. "So there is no need for you to worry of Kankuro-kun. Think of yourself right now. Do you have a plan?"_

 _"Not really." Rin relented. "My only thought was leaving Suna. Beyond that... hope I guess."_

 _"Lucky for you I have a photographic memory." Gaara smirked. "I think I know where to start._

 _xXx_

 _"How is he doing?" Asuma asked when Shikamaru returned to the apartment._

 _"About as well as can be expected." Shikamaru sighed, taking a seat next to Kurenai at the table. "He tried to swing at me, but was so drunk he couldn't even manage that."_

 _"Can't really say I blame the guy." Kurenai stated coldly. "If you were really as harsh as you had planned to be."_

 _"He needed to hear it, Kurenai-chan." Asuma sighed walking over to the pair._

 _"Doesn't make it any less cruel." Kurenai huffed._

 _"Have we gotten any intel on which direction she was headed?" Shikamaru asked Kurenai, hoping it would end the chill in the air around her._

 _"None so far."_

 _"When you spoke with her at the hospital, did she say anything to you?" Asuma inquired Kurenai. "Anything that may have pointed to the reason she went rogue?"_

 _Kurenai shook her head looking down at the map. "All she told me was that she broke after what Shikamaru-kun and Kankuro-kun had asked of her." Kurenai ran her fingers through her own hair, glaring at the map, asking it to yield the answers she needed. "I can't blame the poor girl."_

 _"She reminds you of Hinata-chan, doesn't she?" Shikamaru asked, seeing the stress upon Kurenai's face._

 _Kurenai hadn't really thought about it, but it was true. At the hospital, Rin had reminded her so much of Hinata that it was uncanny. Her drive, her situation, almost everything about Rin was a spitting image of what Hinata had endured._ _ _Is that why I am so determined to find her?__ _Kurenai didn't have much time to deliberate as Sakura entered the room._

 _"Any leads?" Sakura asked as she took in the three._

 _"Not yet," Shikamaru sighed, turning to her, "and that is exactly why you are coming along. We don't want it to be the case but if we find her injured or ill..."_

 _"You need a medical ninja and I was the first on deck, I get it." Sakura said moving over to the map. "So many routes she could have taken, where do we even begin to start?"_

 _"Consult your bingo books." Kankuro entered the apartment, still drunk, but sober enough to think straight. "She's going after the assassins of the shadows. She'll be looking for the next lead. Something tells me that one of the murderers got away and that's her target."_

 _"Kankuro-kun, you should be resting!" Kurenai exclaimed as he swayed before them_

 _"I'm fine." Kankuro growled, but the others were not convinced. He felt something sharp enter his neck and before he knew it he exhausted, unable to keep his eyes open._

 _"Shoulda just listened to me." Shikamaru's voice sighed before Kankuro fell asleep._

 _"Did you really need to drug him, Sakura-chan?" Asuma asked as he and Shikamaru moved Kankuro to the bed._

 _"He wasn't going to listen to reason," Sakura argued. "He was useless in that condition, the idiot. At least now he'll be well enough rested for our mission"_

 _"She's got a point, but so did he. Bingo books. Any link to the assassins, we look at all of them." Shikamaru said, taking his own out._


	10. Chapter 10 : Let's Just Live

_Chapter 10_

 _"GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!" Rin screamed at the sky as the final opponent lay at her feet, limp. "I've already spent a fuckin' year out here and the only thing I've learned is that Hiashi ordered the hit!"_

 _"Did you expect this to be easy?" Temari smirked at the young girl whose crimson hair was jutting out in every direction imaginable._

 _"Not so much easy, as much as less tedious." Rin growled, falling onto her backside, taking a giant gulp of water from her thermos. "How many of these asshole assassins do I have to kill before somebody gives me some useful information?"_

 _"You have already taken out the fucker that got Gaara-kun, so that's something." Temari tried soothing the girl, but could see the tension and anger festering behind her dark eyes. "C'mon hun, we need to make camp, the sun will be setting soon and we're 10 kilometers from the nearest town."_

 _"Fine," Rin relented, skulking back into the woods._

 _Rin sighed, setting up her tattered tent as Temari and Hinata chased each other around. "Ya know, I get that you guys constantly wanna be banging, but could you be a little less annoying?" Rin growled at the pair. Being stuck with pretty much only foul-mouthed Temari and brooding Gaara had caused Rin's personality to become a mesh of the two. She'd definitely lost any sort of filter her language previously had and everything seemed to get on her nerves._

 _"Well, it isn't exactly like we can help ya, now is it kiddo?" Temari shot back with a grin. "Besides, you didn't seem to mind watching that one time..."_

 _"I told you that was an accident!" Rin snapped, whipping her head around to glare at the blonde. "It was the middle of the fucking day, and I was trying to meditate like you had told me to!"_

 _"I know but that crimson blush on your face just screamed 'lemme join!'" Temari chuckled, winking at her former pupil._

 _Rin knew arguing with Temari teasing her was only fueling the fire, but she was quickly becoming enraged and didn't rightfully give a damn. "I was blushing because of the extraordinarily awkward situation I was thrust into."_

 _"Oh, so you wanted to be_ _ _thrusted__ _into, I'm sure we could have accomplished that." Temari gave another wink as Rin's anger grew._

 _"You know damn well what it was I meant!" Rin's voice had raised several volume levels and Hinata could tell by her eyes she was about to explode._

 _"Rin-chan, Temari-chan, please stop. You're both acting foolish." Hinata pleaded in a soft voice and Rin instantly felt the fire in her stomach extinguish. No matter how out of hand she'd gotten, she'd grown attached to the young Hyuuga in the past year and any time she was ready to rip someone's head off out of anger, Hinata always had a calming effect on her._

 _"Sorry, Hinata-chan." Rin replied, returning to the tent. Once it was finally up, she started gathering wood for a fire. It didn't take long to have a pile of dried sticks placed in front of the tent and Rin fetched the matches from her bag. She struck a match, letting it fall on the kindling, and right before it made contact, Rin gave the flame a small gust of wind to start the blaze._

 _She took a seat in front of the fire, leaning back against the tent, sighing in content. It had been a long day. It had been a long year. There was still no end in sight. No leads, barely and progress, and her hope was dwindling with every passing night._

 _"Don't." Hinata's voice said. Rin opened the eyes she hadn't even remembered closing to find Hinata sitting right by her side. "If you start doubting yourself now, you'll never be able to complete your mission."_

 _Rin knew she had a point, but decided to take her elder's approach. "So what, you read minds now?" the stern look on Hinata's face told her that she hadn't quite gotten the joke. "I mean, I shouldn't be surprised, I mean after all, my 'power' is growing more and more to the point I can actually touch you guys now, so you being able to read my mind isn't that far out there."_

 _"Rin-chan, I am serious." Hinata's tone conveyed that pretty clearly._

 _"I know, I know," Rin sighed in frustration. "But we've gotten nowhere in 13 months and now we took out our best lead. Every day I ask myself if doing this alone was a mistake. Perhaps if Kankuro-kun were here with us he'd be able to help, ya know, stop them from committing suicide long enough to get some answers. As it stands now, we're in somewhere in the land of fire without the faintest idea of where to go, and I honestly don't know what to do."_

 _"Well that isn't entirely true," Hinata said, taking Rin by the hand. Her skin felt warm and Rin wondered if it was a heavenly heat or a comforting touch. "My father, he ordered Temari's assassination and we already know where we can find him."_

 _"Seems risky," Rin sighed, leaning against the Hyuuga. "Isn't he guarded by Jonin?"  
_

_"Chunnin, Jonin, ANBU, he pretty much has as much protection as Lady Hokage, but with how much you have improved recently, I doubt they will be much of a problem." Hinata explained as she caressed the young kunoichi. "Perhaps you should retire to your sleeping quarters." Her words fell on deaf ears as Rin was already asleep with her head on Hinata's shoulder._

 _"Looks like the kiddo passed out." Temari smirked as she and Hinata began to fade._

 _"Yea, I feel bad leaving her out here alone though." Hinata sighed, but it couldn't be helped. With all the chakra Rin had spent in one day, her power was starting to fade, sending Temari and Hinata away from her whether she'd want them to go or not._

 _"She'll be fine," Temari smiled. "That little spitfire ain't going nowhere anytime soon."_

 _" _Dammit!" Rin growled as a kunai zoomed past her face.__

 _" _Come, now, firecracker," a grating voice taunted her. "You didn't expect me to go down quite as easily as all the rest, now did you?"__

 _" _Rin-chan look out!" Hinata and Temari screamed in unison as a large, burning support beam nearly crushed the girl whom narrowly avoided it by jumping away.__

 _ _"I see, you have partners watching your back. Impressive, I thought people like you were only a myth." the antagonizer smiled through the flames. "I am very glad to see that your kind still exist."__

 _" _Rin-chan we have to go!" Temari screamed as she watched the red head bob and weave through the smoldering rubble.__

 _" _Not until this fuck tells me what I want to know!" Rin began charging at her opponent only for him to vanish.__

 _" _Rin-chan, he's probably already gone!" Hinata cried out, begging for the young girl to get the hint.__

 _ _Rin growled, diving out a nearby window as the whole building began crumbling down. Once outside she caught a glimpse of metal out of the corner of her eye and summoned wind to her hand to push herself out of the way just in time.__

 _" _We're in the wide open, nowhere left for you to hide, asshole." Rin declared with a smirk.__

 _" _Whoever said I was hiding, Rin-chan?"__

 _ _That took her aback. "How the fuck do you know my name?" Rin screamed, charging at the man who smirked, grabbing a hold of the girl, restraining her.__

 _" _Oh-ho-ho, Rin-chan. I know a lot more than just that. I know so much about you. Your mother and father own a spa in Sunagakure," the assailant realized Rin was swinging at him, and blocked it with one hand, yanking her arm around so her back was to him. "You were chosen to be Kazekage. Your lover and you had a fight right before you left upon this mission which has certainly marked you as a rogue ninja."__

 _" _Who the fuck are you?" Rin screamed at him, trying her best to headbutt him to no avail. "How the hell do you know so much about me?"__

 _" _Rin-chan! It's a form of Genjutsu!" Hinata yelled out to her. "He's using your own mind against you, he doesn't actually know anything, he's reading your memories!__

 _" _Genjutsu, huh?" Rin closed her eyes, only focusing on Hinata's voice. "Genjutsu I can deal with." Rin mentally threw a wall up around her mind. Once she was sure she was freed, she didn't hesitate. "Galeforce Armor, FORM!" Wind began swirling around her body, hardening. She felt her assailant's grip slip a little and as soon as she could move her wrist the slightest bit, she followed through with her attack. "Galeforce Armor, PROPULSION!" Her body was thrust away from her opponent as he was sent flying backwards.__

 _" _That's it, you little bitch!" He howled, climbing to his feet. "Now you're dead!"__

 _" _That's what you think." Rin chuckled running directly at him at her top speed. She was fully prepared to launch into an attack when she stopped dead in her tracks. She couldn't move. She couldn't speak. Everything around her began to turn black and she felt like she were falling into a never ending abyss. Another form of Genjutsu, but much more powerful than the one she had just escaped.__

 _" _You walked right into this one." the taunting voice came through clear, but she realized she could no longer hear Temari or Hinata. "It's my own special jutsu. I welcome you to The Void." Rin watched in horror as her opponent walked in circles around her, taunting her with the mobility she no longer had. "What's the matter firecracker? Cat got your tongue?"__

 _ _Spots began to dance in Rin's vision as she felt the mans hand on her shoulder. "You're completely helpless, not even your phantom friends can save you from this place." He cackled. "You're at my beck and call, and soon, you'll feel nothing at all."__

 _ _Rin felt herself being stripped of her equipment. Her ninja tools, her fan, everything that she needed to fight back. The bandages around her arms were being unraveled and the headband that hung around her neck fell to the ground. Soon enough her clothes began to fall away until she stood there naked and afraid, the only thing still clinging to her was her Armor. The armor she'd forgotten about.__

 _ _It was a risky idea but she knew she had to do it. She forced her mouth open, sucking air from the armor into her lungs which seemed to loosen the jutsu enough to where the paralysis wore off. She didn't waste a second. "Galeforce Armor, SHRAPNEL DISPERSION!" she screamed and shards of solidified air whipped out like shrapnel, decimating everything in their path.__

 _" _What the hell?!" The man screeched as the pieces of shrapnel pierced his skin in several spot, sending blood flying. "How did you escape the Void?! No one ever has before."__

 _ _Rin clamored to her feet, noting, happily, all of her gear was still on her person. "Never take oxygen away from an air user. It will never work to your advantage." Rin held her hand up in front of her, focusing chakra to it, causing a ball of solidified air to form. "Shrapnel dispersion." The ball of air erupted, zooming toward her opponent like bullets, causing him to slam against a nearby tree.__

 _ _Before he could make another move, 6 kunai pierced his flesh, nailing him to the tree. "You have one chance," Rin said, slowly making her way to her captive, ball of air already solidified in her hand. "Tell me who you work for."__

 _" _Doesn't really matter, anymore, now does it?" the man asked. "Gonna die either way."__

 _" _True," Rin said coldly. "But if you tell me what I wish to know it will be a lot less painful then if you dick me around." Rin used her free hand to grab the man by the hair and force him to look at her. "Now that's a hell of a deal considering you just tried to rape my mind."__

 _" _You don't have the... AAAARGH!" Rin was twisting one of the Kunai buried in the mans hand.__

 _" _Try me," Rin whispered in an almost seductive tone.__

 _" _Fine," the man relented. "Hyuuga Hiashi hired the Assassins of the Shadows."__

 _" _I wasn't asking who ordered the hit. I want to know who commands this unit." Rin began twisting the knife again, causing yet another screech of agony. "Who are the heads of the assassins?"__

 _ _Before he could answer a kunai pierced his throat. Rin whipped around, prepared for battle, but no one was there. Not even Temari or Hinata. Nor the burning building. She was trapped in another Genjutsu. Rin closed her eyes, trying to break it, but the wielder was much more powerful than her previous opponent and wasn't giving an inch on control. Rin fell to her knees, screaming at herself in her own head trying like hell to break the illusion, but she wasn't having any luck.__

 _" _RIN-CHAN!" Hinata's scream burst through Rin's head like a train. "YOU HAVE TO RUN!"__

 _ _Rin stood up, wobbling slightly. She kept her eyes closed and used her sense of touch and the wind to guide her. Even without sight, she could still get directions. She took off as fast as she could, but knew outrunning Genjutsu was almost as difficult as breaking it. She forced air into her hand, before guiding it under her, launching herself off the ground. Once airborne, she changed the direction of the wind, causing her body to fly like a kite as far away as she could get before her chakra started to fail her.__

 _ _Without wind propelling her forward or any sort hovering power, she fell to the ground like a comet. Her arms and legs took the brunt of the impact as curled into a fetal like position, she used them to shield herself, but she hit her head hard enough to cause a concussion and make her vision go blurry.__

 _ _Rolling onto her back she looked up and was proud to see she had escaped whatever the illusion that had overtaken her had been, but she was too spent to celebrate. 'Good a place as any, I guess,' Rin thought to herself, closing her eyes.__

 _"Hinata-chan?" Rin awoke to solitude and the dying embers of the previous night's fire. The sun was rising in the distance, causing Rin to groan. She'd slept through the night, but awoke to more work than she had wanted to do. Everything still hurt from the previous night's events._

 _Rin closed her eyes, focusing on her chakra, reaching out to what she now referred to as the 'spirit realm' and focused on Hinata and Temari, pulling them out into her own reality. Instead, when she opened her eyes, she found a certain ninja with spiked crimson hair._

 _"Guess I still can't get who I want." Rin joked, cracking a smile._

 _"Well good morning to you as well, Rin-chan." Gaara said back in monotone. "How did you sleep?"_

 _"Well, I guess." Rin groaned. "Everything still hurts though. I don't really want to move."_

 _"So don't." Gaara said, walking over to her and sitting beside her. "Relax for a day."_

 _"I can't, Gaara-kun." Rin said, her head instinctively finding his shoulder._

 _"You must, Rin-chan. If you are actually to go through with attacking the Hyuuga compound, you are going to need to be at 100 percent." Gaara explained to her. "You are a very powerful kunoichi, but you are not invincible, not matter how untouchable that armor of yours makes you feel."_

 _Rin smiled, closing her eyes. She knew he was right. "Of course, big brother knows best." she said in a sing-song tone. "I guess I just don't know how to take it easy anymore. For the past year its been constant movement and battles."_

 _"Precisely why you need to take it easy. If you keep this up you're either going to kill yourself or get yourself killed." Gaara stated, coldly._

 _"Or option 3, I pass out and Kankuro-kun miraculously finds me." Rin chirped._

 _"Somehow, I don't think you and I see eye to eye about the likely hood of the happening."_

 _"Perhaps not, but it is nice to fantasize about." Rin smiled, moving closer to Gaara who wrapped an arm around her. "It's just been you guys and me for so long, and I only just learned how to make you tangible, it gets kinda lonely, ya know?" Gaara nodded. "Ya know, you're not nearly as fun as your sister, if she were here she would have made a joke about me needing to 'get some' right there."_

 _"If that is what you feel you need, then who am I to stop you?" Gaara asked with a half smile on his face, causing Rin to punch him in the ribs, eliciting an 'oomph'. "Sometimes I wonder if it was a good thing you learned how to make us tangible."_

 _"It's always a good thing." Rin said snuggling closer to Gaara. "Hard to cuddle something you can't touch."_

 _"I suppose it is," Gaara commented as he looked at Rin, at peace in his arms. They had never really had the opportunity to do this while he was alive, but it was nice seeing his adopted sister in such serenity for once._

 _"Now what do we have here?" Temari's voice was loud and clear as she materialized and took in the sight._

 _"Go away Goldilocks, no one asked you." Rin said in a muffled voice, burying her face into Gaara's shoulder."_

 _"That's no way to talk to your sensei." Temari declared, trying to pull Rin away from Gaara, only to get a ball of air thrown right into her stomach. "Why you little..."_

 _"Temari-chan, Gaara-kun is right. Rin-chan needs a day to relax." Hinata chimed in, getting in between her lover and Rin. "Can't you see the poor girl is exhausted?"_

 _Temari looked at Rin in quiet scrutiny, before realizing the others were correct. The red-headed kunoichi was covered from head to toe in scrapes, gashes, and bruises. Her once kept hair was now overgrown and frayed. The clothes she wore were barely holding themselves together, and worst of all, her bare feet were cracked and bleeding._

 _"She needs to get to Konohagakure." Temari said, looking at the poor girl. "Do you have any money left at all?"_

 _Rin had been doing odd jobs to make fund this expedition, but they rarely paid well. She dug through her backpack, producing a few crumpled up yen. Barely enough for a bowl of flavorless ramen, nowhere near enough for anything else._

 _"I may have an idea, but I'm not quite sure of how it'll work." Hinata said with a frown._

 _"Yes?" Gaara asked, narrowing his eyes at her._

 _"Well she's a rogue, yes, but she's not doing anything wrong, and she needs help," Hinata was almost to her old ways of stuttering again. "Kiba-kun might be able to get her back on her feet, and may not tell Kurenai-sensei about it..."_

 _"That's one hell of a long shot," Temari stated, deadpan. "You really think he'd keep Rin a secret from the rest of the village?"_

 _"He may if I asked..." Hinata spoke softly, pushing her pointer fingers together like she always did when she was nervous._

 _"And how are you gonna ask him? I can't exactly make him see you." Rin asked, halfway afraid of the answer._

 _"B-by telling him something only I would know." Hinata stammered, a blush forming on her face._

 _"Don't tell me you literally screwed the pooch?" Temari asked rolling her eyes._

 _"N-not exactly." Hinata's blush grew deeper. "But... well... we did almost... once..."_

 _This elicited laughs from everyone which only caused Hinata to become more embarrassed._

 _"Tell me Hinata-chan, did he make you his bitch?" Rin squealed, holding her stomach, laughing her head off._

 _"Oh, did ask to do it doggy style?" Temari cried, pounding on the ground._

 _"You guys are so mean!" Hinata huffed. "We were teenagers on the same team on lots of missions together! One thing lead to another, and if Kurenai-sensei hadn't caught us, well..."_

 _"The teacher was in on it too?!" Temari screeched, starting to turn red herself from lack of oxygen._

 _"You're all assholes." Hinata yelled at them which instant caused the laughing to stop. It was a rarity for Hinata to curse, so if she was, they all knew she was extremely pissed. "I'm offering a potential saving grace and you're all acting like a bunch of ten year olds finding out about sex for the first time!"_

 _"Sorry, Hinata-chan, it's just, I can't picture it." Temari said, wiping away a tear. She went to hug her girlfriend only for Hinata to pull away and glare. Temari knew she'd screwed up._

 _"We're going to need to find a way to get her through town without being noticed." Gaara said. "Konohagakure isn't like Sunagakure. It's not exactly filled with the homeless. People will take one look at Rin-chan's appearance and know she doesn't belong."_

 _"I've got an idea for that. Very low level Genjutsu that only affects your appearance and nothing else." Hinata explained, helping Rin to her feet._

 _"I was never really good at Genjutsu." Rin lamented. "It was always my weakest point, can't I just use Transformation?"_

 _"Luckily you don't need to be good at it for this one to work." Hinata explained. "And no, transformation won't work because it won't change the clothes you're wearing. Thank Naruto for that little piece of knowledge."_

 _Rin groaned, picking herself off the ground, summoning her chakra. "Awright, how does this work?"_

 _"Well, basically you just need to think of a specific appearance and manipulate your chakra to that particular form." Hinata tried to explain, but she knew she wasn't doing a very good job. She looked to Temari for assistance, but the blonde just shook her head in response. "It is very similar to transformation," Hinata continued, "But you're using your mind more than you're physically using chakra."_

 _Rin sighed focusing on the image of herself back in Sunagakure when she had been training with Temari. Attempting the best thing Rin could guess from the half-baked attempt Hinata had done describing the jutsu to her, and she tried to will her mind to shift her appearance into that form. As presumed prior, it failed. Miserably._

 _"I can't do this. I couldn't even pass this on the training academy exam." Rin growled, kicking her tent. "Genjutsu just isn't my thing."_

 _"Giving up already?" Temari chimed in, her tone a taunting one. "Pathetic. You dare call yourself a kunoichi when you can't even attempt such a simple jutsu?" Temari saw Rin's eyes flash anger and she knew she'd gotten through to her. "The Rin-chan I know wouldn't be such a whiny little bitch and would make an actual effort, not make excuses and kick things."_

 _It had always been their thing. Anytime Rin got frustrated she always seemed to perform better and Temari had used that as a motivational tool to get through to the thick headed teen. Rin doubted herself all the time, and hated herself for it, so when someone else voiced their doubts in her, she always rose to the occasion, regardless of the circumstances._

 _Rin focused her mind on the single image in her head, mentally screaming at her chakra to produce it. She clamped her eyes shut, bit her bottom lip, furrowed her brow, and dug her nails into her palms. She was willing to try anything to accomplish her goal._

 _Then Rin felt something. It was as though she were descending, slowly, into a pool of water. When she opened her eyes again she didn't see any difference but the looks of pride upon Gaara, Temari, and Hinata's face told the whole story. She'd done it. Through sheer willpower she had cast the jutsu._

 _"Think this will be awright?" Rin asked, trying desperately to break the awkward silence that had fell upon the group._

 _"It's perfect, Rin-chan." Hinata smiled as Temari ruffled the bloody locks upon the girl's head._

 _The walk to Konohagakure was quiet, leaving Rin to contemplate the tasks ahead of her. Find and convince Kiba to assist her. Attack the Hyuuga compound. That was about the only semblance of a plan she could conceive._

 _She was deep in thought as they walked through the gate that lead to the main village and was immediately taken aback. Trees overgrew, stretching out shade to almost every corner of the town. Buildings varied in size as the sun cast shadows, causing them to seem smaller than they actually had been. Off in the distance Rin could make out the faces of the former Hokage and just west of it, the Hokage mansion where Lady Tsunade was no doubt conducting official business. Small streams wove their way through the buildings and towns people, the sound of their water like a lullaby. "This place is beautiful..." Rin gasped._

 _"Home, sweet, home," Hinata sighed contently as she drank in the subtleties that she'd taken for granted when she'd lived here. "Been a while."_

 _Temari smiled at the pair. They were both at peace, which had become a rarity as of late. She hated the fact they were here on a mission, and wished she could leave the pair to bask in the harmony of the village. "So where will we find Kiba-kun?"_

 _Almost on cue the Inuzuka ran right past them, before stopping and returning to Rin, sniffing her. "I'd recognize that scent anywhere. You're using Genjutsu." Kiba growled, baring his fangs at the small girl. "Why?"_

 _Rin said the first thing that came to mind. "Hinata-chan told me to..." Rin squeaked, barely recognizing her own voice. Terror wasn't something she'd been used to feeling, but the animalistic glare and overwhelming aura Kiba was exuding was enough to make Rin want to crawl in a hole and hide._

 _This caused her comrades to groan and Kiba to cock an eyebrow at her. "Hinata-chan?" It had been over a year since he'd heard his former comrade's name even uttered. Nearly everyone in the village had written her off as a betrayer, but Kiba knew there had been more to that story, he was just unsure of what it had been._

 _"Y-yes," Rin stuttered, cursing herself. "Hinata-chan told me to come to you for help, and that if you didn't believe she'd actually sent me to remind you of the time Kurenai-sama had caught you two..." Kiba's hands were covering her mouth in an attempt to silence her as a blush spread across his face._

 _"Awright, all ready. Follow me, and keep that Genjutsu up. Whoever you are, Hinata-chan clearly didn't want you to be recognized," Kiba said, leading Rin away from the village._

 _The duo came to a rest next to a pond and Kiba took Akamaru from his hoodie, placing him next to the pond. The snow colored dog immediately ran to the edge of the pond lapping at the water as Kiba and Rin took a seat on a couple of boulders that overlooked the majority of the water._

 _"So, who are you?" Kiba asked, laying on his back against the stone. "How did you know Hinata-chan?"_

 _"Well," Rin thought, trying to find the right words to explain her relationship to the young Hyuuga. "She was my former sensei's lover."_

 _"Uzumaki-kun was your sensei? Boy do I have pity for you." Kiba chuckled, flashing a smile at Rin. She could see why Hinata had fallen for the charm, but couldn't afford to do the same._

 _"No, my sensei was Temari-chan." Rin said softly._

 _Kiba nearly fell off the boulder at the sheer shock of the words that left Rin's mouth. "You're telling me Hinata-chan was cheating on Naruto-kun... with the liaison?"_

 _"No, he cheated on me!" Hinata screamed in an ear piercing shrill. Or a Rin piercing shill, since Kiba couldn't hear a word the black haired Hyuuga was screaming._

 _"Dammit, Hinata-chan, he can't hear you and I don't like my ears being assaulted like that, ya know!" Rin snapped back at the girl who sunk back into complete silence, retreating to Akamaru who was now panting up at the girl. Rin was unsure if the dog could sense the phantom, but her outburst had caught Kiba's attention._

 _"Whom are you speaking to?" Kiba asked, sniffing the air. "Nobody else is here but you and I."_

 _Rin choked. Every time she'd told people about her magical ability they had written her off as being certifiably insane. She didn't even know Kiba, and he had no grounds to believe her as she was still cloaking herself in the Genjutsu. 'Best get it all out at once.' Rin sighed, releasing the hold on the illusion that surrounded her._

 _"What the hell..." Kiba examined the tattered girl that now sit before him. Bloodied feet, hair grown half-way down her back, a blackened right eye with an open cut jutting out on her left cheek. His sense of smell had been so overridden by the Genjutsu, but he couldn't believe he'd missed such a strong stench of fresh and dried blood._

 _Kiba instinctively reached into the pouch around his right leg, producing bandaging and began wrapping the girls feet in it, trying be gentle as to not hurt her anymore than the torture she'd already endured. "Who did this to you?" He asked, tying one of the bandages._

 _"The Assassins of the Shadows..." Rin said softly. She wasn't about to protest the hospitality she hadn't been offered in thirteen months. "I've been taking them on cell by cell, trying to get answers as to who killed Hinata-chan and Temari-chan."_

 _"By yourself?" Kiba asked as he bandaged her other foot. "That seems foolish. I'm sure there are people who are worried sick about you."_

 _Rin had put that out of her mind. She wouldn't have the resolve to continue her mission if she was focused on everybody else. "Kiba-sama, Hinata-chan said you might be able to help me."_

 _"It took you over a year to get to Konohagakure from Sunagakure?" When Rin looked shocked, Kiba motioned his head to the headband around the girls neck. "Dead giveaway on where you're from."_

 _Rin looked down in dismay. "I don't have a village anymore. I left without notice. I'm a rogue now." Another thought Rin didn't like dwelling on. "I didn't leave out of selfish desires for power or anything like that. I'm not running around spouting my Village's secrets. I just wanted to punish the people who murdered Hinata-chan, Temari-chan, and Gaara-kun."_

 _Kiba looked at the girl with her head hanging and felt his heart break. "I wouldn't call that a rogue ninja, I'd call that a good friend." Kiba flashed a half smile at her and she chuckled slightly at the canine that poked from the corner of his lip. "What's your name?"_

 _"Rin Kurosama." Rin replied with a smile. "I am pleased to meet you Kiba-kun. Hinata-chan told me you don't like formalities, and you might actually growl at me if I tried."_

 _"And I, you, Rin-chan." Kiba smiled back, before pushing on another thing he'd picked up on. "Why did you snap like Hinata-chan was actually speaking to you before? What did you mean by he can't hear you?"_

 _Rin took a deep breath. How should she go about it? She needed to ease in to the subject as smoothly as she could. "I see, hear, and speak to dead people," Diving right into it might've worked better._

 _Kiba cocked an eyebrow at her. "You do realize how crazy that sounds, right?"_

 _"Everybody has told me that, but I swear it's the truth. I can prove it too!" Rin exclaimed eagerly. She couldn't believe she'd never thought of doing this with Kankuro, but a year in solitude had allowed her to look at things differently. "Hinata-chan is actually here with us right now. Ask her anything you know that only you and she would know and I'll answer the question!"_

 _Kiba was skeptical, but figured the hell Rin had already endured was enough, so he attempted to humor her. "Okay, on our team, besides me, who was Akamaru's favorite."_

 _Hinata answered right away "Me," but Rin didn't echo her response._

 _"Really?" Rin asked the man, deadpan. "Out of all the questions you could possibly ask, you ask THAT one? Of course the answer is gonna be Hinata-chan, who the hell likes bugs? Now can you please ask a real question? I'm not some little girl with an imaginary friend. I'm a grown ass kunoichi that communicates with ghosts."_

 _The redhead had a mouth on her, Kiba'd give her that. "Okay, fine," Kiba said, looking Rin square in the eye. "What drink lead up the events that Kurenai-sensei stopped?"_

 _"Oh... um... I'd rather not say." Hinata's blush grew deep as she tried to act like she wasn't paying attention to the conversation intently, petting Akamaru's head._

 _"Hinata-chan... after what I saw two months ago I'm pretty sure I can handle anything you could throw at me." Rin said rolling her eyes. "Just tell me so he accepts that you're here and we can be done with the show and tell."_

 _"Fine. Sex on the beach." The pink across her face turned to a deep shade of red as Temari's jaw hit the ground. "That's kinda what lead to the idea in the first place."_

 _"You didn't... You weren't... Damn... I thought you enjoyed that a little too much." Temari was forming barely coherent thought as she tried to wrap her head around the idea, and Hinata's whole face lit up like a Christmas tree._

 _"She says you guys had a few 'Sex on the Beach' and that lead to the idea of screwing each other." Rin stated, not needing to listen to any babble that was about to come out of Temari's mouth about public indecency. "Besides that, take a look at Akamaru."_

 _Kiba's shock was evident, but he did as instructed and was surprised to find him lying on his back, panting like he was getting a belly rub. "What's going on?"_

 _"Hinata-chan is petting him," Rin explained with a smile, finally happy to see someone believe her. "Apparently he can sense her spirit, and can feel what she's doing to him."_

 _Kiba couldn't believe it. Rin was telling the truth. He looked from Akamaru to her and back. "She's really here." Tears welled up in his eyes. One of his best friends was with him again. He'd accepted it, and almost immediately wished he hadn't as Hinata materialized in his eyes, crouched down next to Akamaru, running her hand along his belly. "Hinata-chan..."_

 _Rin started feeling woozy as Kiba spoke Hinata's name. 'What was going on?' She'd been well rested, and was sure she hadn't lost too much blood. The realization she recognized this feeling came all too late. "Fuck." The word left her lips as she fell backwards into the pond._

 _" _Rin-chan, are you okay?" Temari asked, entering the tent alone. She saw Rin curled up in a fetal position rocking back and forth. She slowly moved toward the girl with concern in her eyes. "Is something wrong?"__

 _" _What am I doing out here, Temari-chan?" Rin asked, wiping away the tears she was doing a very bad job at hiding. "It's been two months and we haven't found anything! We're going on a hunch that seemed to have been incorrect and I just... UGH!"__

 _" _Rin-chan, you have to calm down." Temari's voice was soothing, almost motherly. She laid next to Rin wishing like hell she could wrap her arms around the tiny girl just to give her a reassuring touch. "Getting yourself this upset will only make you ill."__

 _" _Temari-chan, I don't know what I'm doing!" Rin sobbed, looking deep into her sensei's eyes. "I should have let them find me. I should have jumped into Kankuro-kun's arms and let them haul me back off to Sunagakure!"__

 _ _Then Temari knew what was wrong. "I know seeing them today was hard, but doing this to yourself isn't helping the pain go away," Temari knew all too well that trying to be logical with a heartbroken teenager was never easy, but she hadn't any other course of action. "It's only letting it take root and making you feel it worse."__

 _" _What do you mean?" Rin asked, wiping away more tears.__

 _" _Think of it like a cut," Temari explained with a half smile. "The more you think about that cut, the more it's going to hurt, the more you'll feel. However, if you ignored the wound and kept fighting, what would happen?"__

 _" _The pain would go away..." Rin said softly wiping away the last falling tear. "So if I don't think about it, it won't upset me?"__

 _" _Bingo." Temari said with another half smile. "Different emotions will always achieve different results. Happiness makes us content with our lives. Anger gives us strength to fight. Pain..."__

 _" _Incapacitates us." Rin finished the thought, getting a grip on reality. "Thank you, Temari-chan."__

 _" _Anytime kiddo," Temari said, placing her hand on the girl's head, motioning like she were ruffling her hair. "Do you wanna go back to Sunagakure?"__

 _ _Rin shook her head with resolve. "I'm gonna find those bastards one way or another!"__

 _Rin awoke in a strange room. She sat up, taking in the sights. The walls were colored a bland brown and a single painting hung of a flower pot. She looked around and noted a dining table, a sink, an oven, and a door that swung open just as she looked at it to find a shirtless Kiba with the bottom half of his body only being covered by a towel._

 _"What the hell are you doing?!" Rin yelled, before noting that she, herself, was naked. She quickly gathered up the blankets to cover herself and glared at the man she'd thought was a nice guy. "Why the fuck am I naked?"_

 _Kiba chuckled reaching into a shopping bag, pulling out clothes for himself, before returning to the bathroom, closing the door just enough so Rin couldn't see him. "Don't worry, nothing happened. When you fell into the pond your clothes, if that's what you wanna call them, were drenched and covered in mud." He re-emerged for the bathroom fully clothed, returning to the shopping bags. "I didn't want any of your wounds to get infected so, after I got this apartment rented, I had to ditch the clothes and clean you off. Then I treated any wounds that I felt were too deep to be left unattended."_

 _Rin peaked under the blankets, realizing her left leg and left breast were bandaged up with excellent skill and precision. "Then I sent for some clothes for the both of us, and shoes for you." Kiba finished, handing Rin red hooded sweatshirt, black battle-hemmed skirt and black tights with black sandals. "Your other outfit didn't offer much in the way of protection, but from what I could tell you like mobility. That outfit offers both."_

 _Tears welled up in Rin's eyes again as she buried her face in the clothes. "Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked in a muffled sob, "You don't even know me..."_

 _"Because you were Hinata-chan's friend, and you need help. You may be a rogue, but you don't seem to be bad to me, so I can't, in good consciousness, leave you to the wolves now can I?" Kiba asked with a smile as he tipped backward in one of the chairs at the dining table. "Besides, Akamaru seems to like you, and he's always been a good judge of character."_

 _It was only then that Rin noticed the small patch of white fur curled up to the left side of her. She sniffled, lowering her hand to feel the unbelievable softness of the dog that was snoozing beside her. "Kiba-kun... there's something I haven't told you... something that may make you think less of me."_

 _"And what might that be?" Kiba asked, casting a sideways glance at her. "That you're a cold blooded assassin sent here to murder me? Cuz I highly doubt that."_

 _Rin chuckled at the joke. "No, no, nothing quite like that, but..." She took a deep breath, turning to meet his gaze head on. "I've come here to raid the Hyuuga compound and interrogate Hyuuga Hiashi."_

 _Kiba's eyes widened before returning to his casual demeanor. "Good. I hate that bastard."_

 _Rin didn't even attempt to hide her shock. "Good?" she asked, leaning forward, making sure to keep the blankets covering her chest. Not that it mattered, he'd already seen her naked, but it was a matter of principle._

 _"Yeah," Kiba said, gazing out the window to the moonlit sky. "I mean, you're crazy if you do it alone, but I'm sure you have your reasons, and, considering what you've told me, I'm guessing he has something to do with Hinata-chan's untimely death?"_

 _Rin nodded. "He sent the assassins."_

 _Kiba shook his head in disbelief. "His own daughter."_

 _The quiet lament that followed Kiba's statement told Rin that he needed a minute, so she took the opportunity to run into the bathroom while he wasn't looking, making sure not to jar Akamaru too much._

 _Once inside the bathroom Rin looked up at herself in the mirror. It had been a while since she'd seen what everybody else could. The scars, the fresh wounds, the wild, unkempt hair. She was a wreck. She turned around and opened the bathroom door just a crack, peeking her head out. "Hey Kiba-kun?" she called and he whipped his head around, locking eyes with her._

 _"Do you by chance have a kunai I could borrow for a moment?" she asked. The answer came in the form of a thud, a kunai plunged into the wall a few centimeters from her face. She smiled, yanking it out of the wall, and gave a quick "Thank you," before returning to the bathroom._

 _Once inside she set to work, cutting off long chunks of hair. Once she was done she admired her new style in the mirror. It was similar to Hinata's hime-style, but a little shorter and much less spiky. She then pulled on the clothes Kiba had supplied and checked the mirror again. Red really did fit her._

 _She ran her fingers over the sleeves of the hoodie, letting herself fall into the comfort of the fabric. She'd almost forgotten how clothes felt when they weren't covered in dried blood, sweat, and muck. She let her fingertips glide downwards, loving the feel of the the micro-stitched, battle skirt, before her fingers found the tights directly underneath. If this was heaven she hoped she'd never have to leave._

 _A knock on the door broke Rin from her obsessing over the clothes and she heard Kiba's voice call out, "Rin-chan, you awright?"_

 _Rin opened the door slowly, trying not to whack Kiba and stepped out in her new clothes with her new hair cut. "Yea, I'm okay. What'dya think?"_

 _Kiba grinned from ear to ear. "I made the right call. Like the hair cut, too." Kiba replied, returning to his chair. "Much more presentable."_

 _"Kiba-kun," Rin said, placing herself in front of the window. "Can we go out? I promised the others I would take the day off, and, well, I haven't really had any human interaction for the past year. I don't want to waste tonight in bed."_

 _Kiba contemplated it for a second before agreeing. "What would you like to do?"_

 _Within five minutes they were out the door and down at the hotel bar. Kiba was ordering drinks while Rin looked around at all the people her age on the dance floor having fun. Music blared from speakers nearly twice her size and she was sure she saw the DJ smoking a cigarette. She'd never been to a club, but she was sure this was about what she'd expect to find there._

 _Kiba returned to her with two glasses of what smelled like sake and Rin graciously accepted one. "You asked for fun, didn't ya?" Kiba shouted to Rin over the roaring crowd and the window rattling music. "This is the best place I know of!"_

 _Rin took a few sips of the sake and felt a warming sensation course through her. Drinking, partying, then tomorrow, back to killing, but right now that thought was the furthest from her mind, as she sank into the crowd, dancing to the music. Not long after she bumped into a someone, turning to apologize she found girl whose long white hair was pulled back into a ponytail. They smiled at each other, and began dancing together. Rin wasn't gonna let anything stop her from having fun tonight._

 _After an hour or two on the dance floor Rin felt exhausted, and retired to the lounge where the music was a faint bumping against a wall. She fell into an armchair was about to close her eyes when her dancing partner found her. "Hi, I'm Winda, what's your name?" the white haired girl smiled at her._

 _"My name is Rin." she replied, reciprocating the smile._

 _"You new here?" Winda asked, falling into a seat next to her. "I don't think I've ever seen you around."_

 _"Yeah," Rin replied letting her eyes close. "I was taking the night off. Back to work tomorrow." Rin said solemnly. Work, more like digging a bottomless pit that she'd never be able to escape from._

 _"Yeah, me too, what do you do?" Winda asked, taking off her pearly white heels that matched the white blouse and frilly skirt she was wearing._

 _"I'm a Kunoichi," Rin replied, sneaking a peek at Winda who was now massaging her feet. "I've always wanted to ask this, how do you wear those stupid lady stilts?"_

 _That caused Winda to start laughing. "Lady stilts? That's a first." She remarked, continuing to massage her feet. "I guess after a while you just get used to them."_

 _"Not me, I hate those things. I'd rather have my sandals." Rin smirked watching the girl in silent humor. "Not worth the pain if you ask me."_

 _"That's because you have the spirit of a warrior. You're a kunoichi. You need to be able to move around." Winda chuckled, returning her shoe to her foot. "I'm a receptionist. Not much moving around really required." She then stood up, waving to Rin. "Well, see ya."_

 _"Wait..." Rin said, causing Winda to stop in her tracks. "I have a room here. I enjoy your company, and I'd rather much not go back in there. I'm kinda tired." Rin rambled on, her shyness obvious. "Wanna... maybe come back to my room with me? I mean, if ya want."_

 _Winda smiled, locking her arm around Rin's. "I would love to come to your room, Rin-chan."_

 _Rin was overjoyed. She hastily escorted Winda to the small one room apartment before realizing she'd made a minor logistical mistake. There was only one bed, and it was already late, but Winda didn't seem to mind as she made her way over to that one bed and made herself at home._

 _Rin looked around to check if Kiba was anywhere in the room. He wasn't. Neither was Akamaru. She mentally cursed herself for not thinking things through. "Something wrong?" Winda called to her causing Rin to snap back to reality._

 _"No, I just realized. There isn't really anything to do up here." Rin said, casting her gaze at the floor. She couldn't believe she'd been so stupid._

 _"We could dance." Winda said, kicking off her shoes, walking up to Rin, wrapping her arms around the young girls neck, humming a steady rhythm that Rin quickly fell into._

 _It was nice. Something that wasn't loud and booming, but not too slow that Rin would get bored easily. After giving it a thought she mentally shrugged and wrapped her arms around Winda's waist. It may not have been the most exciting thing in the world, but it was certainly not something Rin had done in a year. Rin's eyes caught Winda's blue ones and she just stared for a second. And then Winda's eyes were closed and her lips were on Rin's._

 _Fight or flight mode kicked in and Rin pulled away from the kiss quickly, which stunned Winda for a split second before she erupted into apologies. "I'm so sorry, I don't know why I did that... why did I do that?"_

 _"You... you don't need to apologize Winda-chan," Rin said rolling over multiple ideas in her own head. "I just wasn't expecting it," Rin made up her mind, casting an evil smile at the white haired girl, "But, now that I am."_

 _Rin tackled Winda onto the bed, kissing her passionately. Oh, how she missed this. The soft touches of someones fingers sending shock waves throughout her body. The trail of flames that followed each tiny brush of skin. She felt Winda tugging at the hoodie, and she gladly removed in before latching onto Winda's neck with her mouth, sucking softly._

 _Rin took charge, unbuttoning Winda's white and black blouse, pushing it to the side as Winda's hands found Rin's short red hair, and her left leg wrapped around Rin's thigh. Neither one of them was giving an inch on control, and a tiny voice in the back of Rin's head began to rear it's ugly head but she squashed it down. She wasn't going to be noble or sound minded tonight. She needed this. Needed the touch of another person. Needed to feel something that wasn't a phantom's touch. There was no going back._

 _Rin gave in to the ecstasy and allowed herself to surrender to someone else._


	11. Chapter 11 : Follow Me

_Chapter 11_

 _Rin's eyes fluttered open as the sunlight pour into her room from the unobstructed window. She was about to pull the blankets over her head and roll over when a certain blonde haired kunoichi came into view, causing a groan. "Temari-chan, it's too early for this. Go away..."_

 _"Is that what you're gonna tell that girl when she wakes up?" Temari asked with a smug grin upon her face. The nights events were a blur, but Temari's words and tone of voice spoke volumes. Rin rolled over the find snow white locks tossed around the pillows, and one of the most beautiful women she'd ever seen._

 _Then she shot into a sitting position as the events of the night had come back to her in a flash._

 _"I... I... I..." Rin struggled for words. Winda was naked. She was naked. Clothes littered the floor around the bed. Her mind and pulse were racing. She couldn't exactly lie her way out of this one when Temari was standing right in front of her, drinking in the sight like she'd just found an all you can eat buffet._

 _"You finally got some." Temari chuckled holding an open hand out for her. "I must ask for a high five, girl."_

 _Rin groaned, pushing her hand, lack lusterly against Temari's whilst the other one ran through her now short hair. Between Temari's squeals and the sunlight erupting from the window, a headache was forming right behind Rin's eyebrows. The aching muscles and increasing nausea weren't helping matters any._

 _A small sound from behind her and the shifting of the bed alerted Rin to her partner's stirring. "Mmm, is everything okay, hun?" Winda was sitting up next to her, her chin coming to rest on Rin's shoulder._

 _Rin looked into the girls beautiful blue eyes, and got lost in them. "Yeah, everything is fine." Rin wrapped an arm around the snow white princess she'd pleasantly woken up to, and eased them into a lying position. "Sun just woke me up is all." Then Rin attempted something she'd never tried before. She closed her eyes, focusing all her chakra into one task, and when she opened them again, Temari was nowhere to be seen._

 _Then Winda leaned in and placed her lips upon Rin's, only this time, Rin didn't pull away. She fell into the kiss, slightly parting her lips, hoping Winda would get the hint and she soon felt a velvety tongue enter her mouth. Rin pulled her partner closer, until their bodies were pressed against each other. She relished in the feeling of Winda's smooth skin pressing against hers._

 _When the pair finally came up for air, their lips parted, but their bodies were still intertwined as they stared into each others' eyes. This was heaven. Rin was sure of it. If not heaven, then some alternate universe where she could have a life that wasn't spent on the run, hunting down rogues._

 _Those thoughts overtook Rin's mind, and she began to question what she was doing. The night with Winda had been a blissful one, but it was the only night Rin was going to be in Konohagakure. Her mind reeled as she tried to think of ways to let the girl down easy without causing too much grief, but as she gazed into those bright blue eyes, she knew that no matter how Winda had taken it, Rin was going to hate having to leave her behind._

 _"I know that look..." Winda's voice was soft and sad as she scanned Rin's face. "You feel like you made a mistake by sleeping with me."_

 _"No, that's not it." Rin said softly, brushing a few strands of white hair away from Winda's eyes. "Actually, I don't regret that at all." Rin paused again, still trying to find the right words._

 _"But?" Winda knew it, there always was a but._

 _"But I'm on a mission..." Rin stated sadly. "One that's going to take me far away. One that I have to accomplish." She searched Winda's face for some sort of understanding, but the girl's sullen expression was tearing Rin's heart apart. Such a wonderful night being ruined by the day after. Deja Vu._

 _"Yeah, I figured as much, but ya know... girl's gotta hope."_

 _"You don't actually have to." Hinata appeared in front of them and Rin mentally cursed herself for not having full control over her ability. "You can stop running, stay here, and have a life, if that is what you want."_

 _Rin thought about it. She thought about settling down with Winda and leaving her previous life in Sunagakure behind. She could get a job here and live out of the apartment Kiba was currently paying for. She could abandon her mission and just live in peace. She could do all of that, if it weren't for a stubborn bastard of a puppet master that she was sure would stop at nothing to find her._

 _"I think I need to go for a walk." Rin said, sliding out of bed, much to Winda's dismay._

 _"I guess this is the last time I'll see you then." Winda frowned, moving to get out of bed herself before Rin stopped her, pinning the girl to the bed by her wrists._

 _"I promise I'll be back." Rin said, holding Winda to the bed with a loving smile. "And when I get back, I expect to find you here just like this." Rin smirked before pulling Winda into a sweet kiss. "Maybe we could even have some fun when I get back."_

 _"Why Rin-chan," Winda said in an exaggerated tone with a glowing smile radiating from her pale cheeks. "You're not just using me for my body, now, are you?"_

 _"Would never dream of it," Rin giggled, "But I just need to think about some things. Is that awright with you?"_

 _"That depends," Winda smiled up at her._

 _"On?"_

 _"If you have coffee when you come back." Winda smirked and Rin swore this girl in her bed was one in a million._

 _"Will do, now go back to sleep, I'll be back in about an hour." Rin said, pulling the blankets over the girl, kissing her lightly on the cheek before she got quickly got dressed and left the hotel._

 _"You like her." Hinata said, following Rin down the road and into the woods. "Your face, your actions, everything about you right now is making that abundantly clear. I can tell she likes you too, so what's the problem? Just be with her. Happiness isn't this complicated!"_

 _"But it is, Hinata-chan, and you know why." Rin exclaimed once she was sure nobody else was around to see her screaming at air. "This isn't right. If you remember correctly I have certain puppet master boyfriend that is out looking for me right now and I slept with somebody else!"_

 _"A boyfriend you haven't seen in a year, that's probably already become Kazekage and written you off as dead." Hinata said coldly, throwing her hands in the air in disbelieve. "A boyfriend who was being a complete jerk to you when all you were attempting to do was care for him." Hinata hadn't realized how angry she had been at Kankuro for his treatment of Rin until just that moment, but once she'd discovered it, boy did it start to cloud her judgment. "Yet Winda actually connects with you, and you're pushing her away because of a self imposed mission that you already doubt yourself on."_

 _Rin knew Hinata had a point, but Rin also knew there were two others who needed to cast their votes. She closed her eyes, reaching out to the spirit realm with all her might. She pulled Gaara and Temari into her world, getting slightly dizzy from the use of so much chakra while being hung over._

 _"You little brat! How dare you shove me away like th-" Temari was cut off by Rin's hand covering her mouth to keep her from speaking, which only made Temari angrier, until she noticed the look of uncertainty that plagued Rin's features. She slowly moved Rin's hand from her mouth, her tone growing softer as she spoke. "What's wrong?"_

 _"Hinata-chan thinks I should abandon my mission and stay here with Winda-chan." Rin stated dryly. "And before you start going crazy, I'm in no mood for theatrics. If you start, I'm forcing you away again." Rin hadn't meant for it to come across so coldly, but being how early it was, her hang over, and the uncertainty she was already feeling, she was in a very dismal mood._

 _"Is that what you want?" Temari asked, wrapping her arms around Rin in a motherly hug._

 _"I want a life that isn't a constant battle, yes," Rin began, choosing her words as carefully as she could, given the circumstances, "but I don't like the idea of your murderers getting off either." Rin began to feel woozy again and decided to sit on the ground, her back on a tree for support._

 _"Stay." Gaara said, his monotone voice as clear as ever. All six eyes found their way to the crimson haired ninja, obviously awestruck. "Let Sunagakure worry about our killers. If you are happy here, you need to stay."_

 _"I don't know if it's true happiness though." Rin relented, pushing the palms of her hands into her closed eyes, trying to clear her head. "I came into town yesterday and slept with the first person I liked, I don't know if I am truly happy or if this is merely a byproduct of being alone for a year."_

 _"Synthetic happiness is still happiness, Rin-chan," Gaara stated, walking over to her, kneeling beside her. He could feel Hinata and Temari's eyes glued to him, trying to figure out who this strange man speaking of happiness and abandonment of a mission was, but he couldn't have cared less. "After the year you've had, you deserve some speck of happiness."_

 _"But you guys... Kankuro-kun... Sunagakure. It's all too much." Rin whimpered, staring into Gaara's seafoam green eyes as tears streamed down her face. "I don't want to have to choose."_

 _"So don't choose, hun," Temari said as her and Hinata joined Gaara kneeling beside her. "You're barely out of you adolescent years. Stop worrying about us. Stop this thirst for vengeance. We're always going to be here with you whether or not you find our killers." Temari pulled Rin into a giant hug, running her fingers through the girls hair in a soothing manner before whispering in the redheads ear. "Stay here."_

 _Rin's mind was still buzzing with her fear and discontent, but right now, she'd decided the others were right. She knew deep down in her heart that she'd miss Kankuro, but he was all but lost to her at this point. Taking a risk was all she'd done as of late, but as Winda's deep blue eyes, snowy hair and radiant smile came to mind, she thought she'd take one last risk._

 _"Thank you," Rin said to her friends in quiet relief. "Thank you all, so so much." She basked in the love that the small group had for each other. The bond that not even death could break. She looked around at all their faces and was overcome with an immense sense of belonging. A sense of home._

 _"Now, ya gotta tell me," Temari squealed, pulling back form their hug. "How was she? Novice or expert? Giver or receiver? Top or bottom?"_

 _"Exiting stage left..." Rin furrowed her brow, concentrating her chakra, and in an instant Temari vanished causing Gaara and Hinata to chuckle. "I warned her."_

 _The other two nodded in agreement. It had been a nice moment while it lasted, but Temari always seemed to step right into trouble. "So have you made your choice?" Hinata asked, examining Rin's features._

 _Rin nodded, portraying what she could only hope was confidence. "For the time being, I'll stay in Konohagakure with Winda-chan. I mean it's odd, she is the first girl I've ever..."_

 _"There's my cue." Gaara interrupted, causing both female's eyes to switch to him. He sighed and stood up before disappearing into thin air. The last thought he needed was that of someone he saw as a younger sibling losing her virginity._

 _"As I was saying," Rin continued, focusing her gaze on Hinata. "Winda-chan is the first girl I've ever been with, and while the general concept seems similar, it still kinda feels foreign." Rin explained to the raven haired kunoichi who was listening intently. "Was it the same for you and Temari-chan?"_

 _"Didn't you just boot Temari-chan from this conversation for mentioning sex?" Hinata asked with a slight giggle before taking a seat next to Rin against the tree. "I mean, that seems kinda unfair now."_

 _"Temari-chan wanted me to pain her a word picture of everything Winda-chan and I did last night," Rin corrected, resting her head on Hinata's shoulder. It was still too early to be awake. "I'm simply asking if you felt awkward the first time you and Temari-chan had sex."_

 _"Made love." Hinata corrected, gently raking her fingernails through her friend's crimson hair. "At first, a little bit. I mean it didn't feel like I was doing anything wrong, or that I wasn't ready, but that feeling didn't last long. When you're meant to be with someone, it doesn't matter their gender, age, rank, or anything else for that matter, being with that person just feels right. Like you're on some fluffy cloud in some far off land where no matter what, everything will be okay." Her eyes focused on the young girl's face that now was gazing up at her in a mystic wonder, like a child hearing a bedtime story. "Is that how it felt with Winda-chan?"_

 _Rin thought hard. Being near Winda did lull her into a sense of serenity. Being with her felt amazing. She thought and thought, and the more she thought, the more at peace she became. "We just met, Hinata-chan." Rin said trying to calm the emotions that were steadily growing within her, but she had no claim to her mind when Winda came to it._

 _"Sometimes, Rin-chan," Hinata said, her voice seemingly off on some far away thought, "that is all it takes." She looked down at the girl with a smile. "I'm not trying to tell you how to live your life, but sometimes, Rin-chan, you have to keep it moving in a forward motion. If you can hold you, you will cross this ocean. There's no sense of letting your emotions get in the way 'til the door keeps closing. Just be happy and live your life."_

 _Rin's sense of security was starting to sing a lullaby to her, so she decided it best to get up from her relaxed position and stretch before she could fall asleep. She still had to figure out what happened to Kiba last night after the bar and get back to Winda._

 _"Don't forget about the coffee!" Hinata squealed a joyous smile on her face. When Rin shot her a puzzled look and cocked her head to the side, Hinata realized she'd been unaware. "You were thinking aloud."_

 _"Ah," Rin nodded in understanding, making her way back into town. "Don't worry, I won't forget about the coffee." She was fully prepared to start her search when she a thought occurred to her. "Hinata-chan, you wouldn't happen to know where Kiba-kun lives would you?"_

 _Hinata blushed slightly, taking the lead. Of course she knew where he lived. He'd been her teammate after all. They slowly made their way down the bustling streets of Konohagakure, partially so Rin could admire the beauty she'd only ever heard stories about, and partially so Hinata could reminisce about the good times, however few there were._

 _Hinata saw the ramen shop Naruto frequented, the flower shop Ino had worked at once, the book store her and Kurenai had visited on numerous occasions when Hinata needed an escape. All the memories flooded her mind and she felt a twinge of regret for ever having to leave this village._

 _"Uuuuuuuuugh," Rin groaned, pulling Hinata from nostalgia. "Are we there yet? My feet are starting to hurt."_

 _"You don't make a good morning after drunk," Hinata smirked at the young girl who was practically dragging along. "Perhaps you should just stick to talking to us as your preferred method of stress relief."_

 _"Or, ya know, sex." Rin stated, deadpan, taking pride in the blush that now spread across Hinata's face._

 _Not long after their short exchange they arrived at Kiba's house and luckily, he was already awake. Once he noticed them, Rin felt off. She couldn't quite put her finger on it but she suddenly felt weaker and groggier than she had on their trek up to the house. "Hey, Rin-chan..." The wolf ninja called to the pair, waving, before continuing awkwardly, "H-hey, Hinata-chan."_

 _Then it clicked in Rin's head. "YOU CAN SEE HER?!" Rin shrieked as understanding tore through her brain. "What... wai... how..." coherent thoughts couldn't even be formed as this new information burrowed it's way into her skull._

 _"I'm guessing I shouldn't be able to?" Kiba asked as he approached the pair on the street, Akamaru trailing lazily behind._

 _The closer he got, the less strain Rin felt, but the more curious she'd become. "No wonder I passed out yesterday at the pond," Rin contemplated. "My chakra is enveloping you as well, allowing you to see Hinata-chan."_

 _"You really think so?" Hinata asked, reaching out her hand, trying to touch Kiba's shoulder, but it passed right through him. "Guess I can't make contact with him the way I can with you yet, but it's still so weird."_

 _"Putting that disturbing image out of my head," Kiba said with a shiver. No much unnerved him, but his former friend phasing through him was not a thought he'd like to dwell on. "Have you made plans on how to infiltrate the Hyuuga compound yet?"_

 _"Actually, I'm not doing that." Rin said with a smile upon her face. "I'm not running anymore."_

 _"So you're going back to Sunagakure then?" Kiba asked with a raised eyebrow._

 _Rin shook her head, taking the headband from around her neck, placing it in Kiba's hand. "I'm staying here in Konohagakure," she explained is a soft tone, closing Kiba's hand around the sand headband. "I don't wanna be a kunoichi anymore. I don't wanna fight anymore."_

 _Kiba looked down into Rin's eyes and saw the soft girl she'd been so long ago. He still saw pain deep down, but the light that danced in them now was seeping it's way into him. Rin had attained something in her short life that very few could honestly say they'd ever achieved. Inner peace._

 _He didn't second guess her. He didn't ask anything. He simply wrapped his arms around the girl in a hug, letting her know she wouldn't be alone. "You gave me my friend back, and for that I am eternally in your gratitude, Rin-chan."_

 _Rin smiled, hugging him back. "Good, you can start making it up to me by explaining to me exactly what the hell happened to you last night," Rin smirked, pulling away from the embrace, "and buying me two cups of coffee."_

 _Kiba bowed before her, motioning for her to lead the way which caused Hinata to giggle. Never before had she seen Kiba acting so nonchalant, but she had to admit it fit him pretty well. Kiba turned to Akamaru, instructing him to stay, and the faithful dog obeyed, watching the trio as they made their way down the road._

 _"So... last night... about that. See what had happened was..." Kiba was trying really hard not to make the conversation awkward with the knowledge he'd obtained._

 _"Kiba-kun, I'm much too tired and hung over for this." Rin's annoyed tone was obvious as they made their way to the coffee shop Rin had spotted on the way over. "Just spit it out."_

 _"When I got back to the room, I was unlocking the door when I heard moaning coming from within," Kiba explained, noting the blush that caused Rin's face to match her hoodie. "I figured you'd met a guy at the bar so I decided to give you your privacy and just came home."_

 _"You're half right," Hinata chimed, taunting the girl. Payback was a bitch. "She did bring someone back to the room, but it certainly wasn't a guy." The death glare Rin was now shooting in her direction only caused Hinata to laugh. "Aww, its okay Rin-chan. She was cute. I'm sure Kiba-kun would agree with me on that."_

 _Kiba tried really hard to not dwell on the awkwardness, but there was simply a question that had to be answered. "Anyone we know?"_

 _"No, just some random girl." Rin said quickly as the coffee shop came into view. "No big deal. One night stands happen all the time."_

 _"I'm sure Winda-chan would slap you for saying that!" Hinata laughed loudly, leaning on Rin. "Wasn't she scared letting you leave the apartment this morning for fear of never seeing you again? Now you outright say she was a one night stand, which we both know is a lie."_

 _Not recognizing the name Kiba decided Rin had endured enough torture and decided a change of subject would better fit their current situation. "So two cups of coffee for you, right?" He asked, approaching the counter. Rin nodded, leaving Kiba to order._

 _"Ya know, I'd expect that kind of mental torture from Temari-chan, but not from you." Rin growled quietly to Hinata once they were alone._

 _"You know he can still hear us right?" Hinata asked with a grin on her face and another blush took over Rin's facial features._

 _"Fine," Rin said, still keeping her voice low. Kiba may have known about Hinata, but none of the other people on the street did, and if Rin was going to succeed in making a life in this village, appearing like a crazy person talking to a lamp post was not the way to do it. "Can we get off the topic of my sex life yet? Don't you two have something else to talk about. You haven't seen each other in a year."_

 _Hinata shrugged before starting to fade. A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over Rin and began stumbling backward. Hinata's hand darted out to catch her, but she phased right through Rin. Her chakra was at it's limit again, but this time she wasn't going to pass out. She severed the connection to the spirit realm just before her head hit the pavement._

 _"Ow, motherless fuck." Rin screamed, clutching the back of her head. Everybody on the street stopped and stared at the girl, curled up on the ground shouting random obscenities._

 _"You okay?" Kiba asked, offering his hand to her. "If you feel like you can't, don't try to move."_

 _"I'll live. I've had worse." Rin said, taking Kiba's hand, using him as leverage to pick herself up off the ground._

 _"I know, I've seen." Kiba said, helping her over to a picnic table where he'd set the coffee down. "Where's Hinata-chan?"_

 _"Had to break the connection in keep myself from passing out." Rin explained, moving the set of creamers and flavored sugars from the center of the table to right in front of her, taking the lids off both cups. "Whole lotta good that one did me." she remarked before staring down at the two cups of coffee, remembering she'd forgotten to ask Winda how she liked it. 'Dammit' she cursed herself._

 _"I see," Kiba said, sitting across from her. After getting settled he looked at Rin and noticed her hesitation. "Something wrong?"_

 _"I forgot to ask Winda-chan how she liked her coffee..." Rin relented, looking from the coffee to the creamers and back. "What if I screw it up and she doesn't like it?" Rin groaned, mentally kicking herself for already messing things up._

 _"Just make hers like you'd make yours." Kiba offered with a smirk. "I'm sure she'll like it."_

 _"But mine's really sweet." Rin said, hesitantly grabbing a hand full of sugar packets. "Not everybody likes their coffee so sweet."_

 _"I'm sure it'll be fine." Kiba spoke comfortingly, but then went back to business. "Rin-chan... you aren't staying in Konohagakure because of Winda-chan are you?"_

 _Rin looked up for the coffee she'd just emptied ten sugar packets into to meet Kiba's gaze. "Maaaybe," she said in an uncertain tone, not sure of where Kiba was going with this question._

 _"Are you sure?" Kiba asked, taking Rin's hand in his own. "That's a big decision and yesterday you seemed hellbent on your mission. You shouldn't give all that up for someone you just met."_

 _"It's not just the girl." Rin said, returning to the task at hand, pouring Vanilla flavored creamer into both cups. "I mean, it's mostly the girl, but I've been at this for a little over a year now, and, well... I'm tired." Rin grabbed a plastic stirrer and began stirring the super sweet mixture. "I'm tired of fighting. I'm tired of running. I'm tired of hoping and wishing and praying every single night that the next day will be just a little bit better, that we'll find a solid lead and I can put this nightmare behind me. That never happens, though. Every day brings with it new problems, new wounds, and it was really starting to get to me. Perhaps a decision like this doesn't seem like the best, but dammit, I'm tired of thinking and questioning myself. Hinata-chan, Temari-chan, and Gaara-kun all told me to do what I feel is right and right now, that's staying here."_

 _Kiba scanned the crimson haired girl in front of him with understanding. The struggle she endured every single day was not one Kiba could even begin to fathom. Anytime he'd been on a mission he'd always been with a team. Rin had been on her own for over a year. Nothing and no one to count on. He didn't know how many battles she'd fought, but the person in front of him had probably endured more than he'd experience in a whole life time. "You're right," Kiba relented, nodding. "You deserve this."_

 _"I hate to have to do this, but I actually have to get back to the room. I told Winda-chan I'd be back in an hour and I don't want her thinking I would break my promise." Rin said solemnly, returning the lids back to the coffee cups. When she saw the sad look upon Kiba's face she offered the best thing she could. "Wanna walk me back?"_

 _"Sure," Kiba chimed as they simultaneously rose from the table and began their walk back toward the apartment. "It's paid for through the week, by the way," Kiba smiled at Rin who looked at him in shock. "Kinda paid for it before you told me about the Hyuuga raid thing, but now I'm really glad I did, and I'll swing by later tonight after my team meeting to meet this wonderful Winda-chan and bring you guys some food."_

 _Rin went from shocked to flabbergasted. "Kiba-kun, I can't ask you to do that. You're being too generous and I'm starting to feel like I'm taking advantage of you."_

 _Kiba shook his head, motioning his hand like he was brushing off what Rin had said. "It's not a problem, Rin-chan. It's the least I can do," He flashed another smile at her before continuing. "Besides, you're staying in Konohagakure, so you can make it up to me later. This is our stop." He came to a halt at the entrance to the hotel. When Rin just stared at him, he decided to give her a quick hug and said goodbye._

 _Rin was still awestruck from the generosity and was looking at the ground when she'd noticed something sticking out of the pocket of the hoodie. Kiba had used that hug to slip a few yen into her pocket, and when she looked up to protest, he was nowhere in sight. The rest of the way to the room she mumbled obscenities to herself under her breath, cursing the dog man for being so nice._

 _When she finally reached the room, she took a deep breath, opening the door and was pleasantly surprised to find Winda sitting up in bed, still nude. "Hey," Winda greeted her with a smile as Rin kicked the door closed behind her, making her way over to the bed, setting the coffee down on the bedside table._

 _"Hey, I thought I told you to go back to sleep." Rin smiled, taking off her hoodie much to Winda's enjoyment._

 _"Had to make sure you'd find your way back," Winda's tone was cheery as Rin stripped down in front of her. "Plus that mention of possible fun got me a little excited." Winda grinned as Rin crawled into bed beside her. Once the kunoichi had settled in Winda kissed her softly which Rin gladly reciprocated._

 _"So, I brought back coffee," Rin noted, motioning her head to it._

 _"So you did," Winda gleamed, taking the cup farthest from her in her hand. When Rin noticed which one she'd taken she tried to stop her._

 _"Actually, that one's mine." Rin pointed out._

 _"So?" Winda asked, and took a sip before Rin could stop her. Once the milky brown liquid hit her tongue her eyes lit up in pure appreciation. "What did you do to this coffee?"_

 _"See, I tried to warn you you might not like it," Rin said, reaching over Winda to grab the other cup from the bedside table._

 _"Not like it?!" Winda asked, looking at Rin. "I LOVE IT! It's so delicious!" Winda began guzzling the coffee down, and Rin just stared, dumbfounded._

 _"It's not too sweet?" She asked, watching as Winda took sip after sip after sip of the tooth rotting sugarfest in the cup. "I used like 15 packets of sugar for mine."_

 _"No, its amazing!" Winda exclaimed, setting the near empty cup back on the bedside table. "Now I know your secret to tasting so sweet."_

 _A blush filled Rin's face as she sipped the slightly less sugarfest she'd concocted for Winda. It took all her willpower to keep the liquid in her mouth and not do a spit-take to the obvious mention of their encounter the night prior, but figured she'd return the compliment. "You didn't taste too bad either." She said sheepishly._

 _Winda smiled, climbing out of bed, pulling the blackout curtains closed before sauntering back over to Rin who just watched in amazement. "So, are you still tired? Cuz I think I could use a bit more sleep." Winda smiled, climbing on top of Rin._

 _"Yea, kinda," Rin said, gazing up at the beauty whose snow white locks now tickled her face. "A day in bed kinda sounds nice, and if you're a good girl, perhaps when we wake up later we can have that fun I spoke up earlier." Rin taunted, causing a shiver to rock Winda's body._

 _"I would like that very much," Winda cooed, laying next to Rin, curling as close to the smaller girl as she could get. Rin returned her coffee to the bedside table before sliding under the comforter, wrapping her arms around Winda who sighed contently. It wasn't long before they both drifted off to sleep._

 _ _Rin panted hard basking in her afterglow as Winda collapsed next to her in pure satisfaction. "That... was... amazing!" Rin said in between deep inhales. "Holy hell." She was trying desperately to regain some form of composure but was sure that wasn't happening anytime soon.__

 _" _You weren't too bad yourself." Winda smiled at her, having had much more time to recover from Rin's ministrations. "I just hope you'll feel the same way tomorrow."__

 _" _Definitely," Rin breathed, finding a steady rhythm her lungs could accommodate. "Kinda glad you sprung that kiss on me now."__

 _" _What can I say? I felt something in the club and then again when we were slow dancing." Winda turned on her side to face Rin. "Decided to take a chance you'd feel the same."__

 _ _Rin thought about it. She had felt at peace with Winda on the dance floor. She'd felt a surge of adrenaline when Winda had wrapped her arms around her for the slow dance. She felt her heart skip a beat when Winda kissed her, and now here in bed she felt something she'd almost forgotten. Joy.__

 _" _I do," Rin said, pulling Winda closer to her. "Thank you for an amazing night."__

 _" _Ya know if ya wanted to talk to me you didn't have to fake bumping into me at the club," Winda smirked, curling into Rin's embrace. "You're cute enough, I wouldn't have written you off right away as some loser looking to get in my pants... though given the current situation, I'm starting to wonder if that had actually been your attention from the start."__

 _ _Rin lit up like fireworks. "That actually was an accident. Fighting, my balance is perfect. Dance floors... not so much," Rin slurred a little on her words, but she was sure Winda could understand her well enough. "Being drunk didn't help any," she added with a slight giggle.__

 _" _I see. How much did you drink?" Winda asked, raising a disapproving eyebrow at her partner.__

 _" _Only one glass of sake, but I've never drank before." Rin said, wholeheartedly.__

 _ _Winda decided the answer was good enough and pecked Rin's nose with a kiss. "Perhaps that one drink was a good thing then, but word to the wise, don't make it habit, there's some really messed up people out there that will probably take advantage a girl alone in a club. I'm sure your other dance partners would like to meet you without the alcohol involved."__

 _" _Whoever said I wanted OTHER dance partners?" Rin asked, not knowing if it was her or the alcohol talking. "I've got the hottest one in bed right now, no real need for anyone else."__

 _ _Winda gasped at Rin's words. "What are you saying?"__

 _" _Welp," Rin looked into Winda's deep blue eyes with a grin on her face. "I'm saying I like you, and I'd love to dance with you again sometime." Rin proclaimed triumphantly.__

 _" _I figured by your headband and your line of work that this was sort of a one time deal..." Winda's words trailed off as she took in Rin's features.__

 _" _I'd hope not," Rin exclaimed, brushing her lips against Winda's in a teasing fashion. "You blow my mind, and I'm not just talking about sex. Your smile is beautiful, your acceptance is wonderful, and you're one hell of a dancer. The sex isn't bad either."__

 _ _Winda didn't waste another second before capturing Rin's lips in a hungry kiss, pushing herself close to the kunoichi. She didn't care how long she had with Rin, every second would be precious to her. She wished her heart would stop right there so she could die this happy.__

 _"Hey sleepy head," Rin chimed as Winda's eyes fluttered open, feeling something stroking her hair._

 _"You're still here," Winda noted. She was sure Rin would have disappeared while she slept._

 _"Yep," Rin smiled at her, brushing the long white hair back from Winda's eyes with her fingertips. "Thought I'd leave without saying goodbye?"_

 _Goodbye. The word Winda had dreaded hearing since that morning. She closed her eyes, fighting back tears, and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, trying to seem cool with the idea of Rin leaving. "I mean, you're not that cruel, but yeah, kinda."_

 _Winda picked up her blouse from the floor and was in the process of putting it back on when Rin jumped out of bed, pinning her to the wall facing her. The kunoichi was undoubtedly strong but she wasn't hurting Winda in any way. Even by pinning her to the wall, Rin's touch was gentle. "What do you think you're doing?" Rin asked in a seductive tone, her face mere centimeters from Winda's._

 _"Well you said you were gonna say goodbye, so I was getting dressed to do so," Winda explained, wishing like hell Rin would lean in and kiss her. She cursed herself for the thought, but she couldn't help it. Every time Rin touched her, Winda's body and mind acted of their own accord._

 _Rin leaned in close to Winda, her breath hot against the snow angel's ear. "I'm not saying goodbye," Rin whispered lovingly. "I'm yours."_

 _Winda's world stopped as her heart skipped what she could only assume as an entire minute of beating. "You're..."_

 _"I'm staying," Rin said, capturing her lover in a kiss that sent electricity flying throughout both their bodies._


	12. Chapter 12 : Bmblb

_Chapter 12_

 _"HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!" Winda screamed, jumping on the bed, awakening a very groggy Rin who mumbled something about it being too early. "I made you breakfast, baby." Winda continued in a singsong tone._

 _Rin begrudgingly rolled over meeting her girlfriend's gaze. She couldn't believe she'd already lived in Konohagakure for a year. One blissfully beautiful year with her lover, and her lover's morning wake-up calls that she could never seem to get used to._

 _Being a receptionist meant Winda was always awake and out the door before Rin could even form a thought, but apparently today she'd taken off from work. Rin didn't know if that was a blessing or a curse, but the smell of freshly made pancakes and super sweet vanilla coffee were a nice perk. She sat up, and Winda pulled her into a loving kiss._

 _"Good morning, hun," Rin groaned, her eyes still adjusting to the morning sun outside their bedroom window. Winda couldn't pick to room on the other side of the house to be their bedroom. Nope, it had to be the window facing the direction of the rising sun. Rin silently wished Death would just take her already. Mornings really weren't her thing._

 _Rin's fingers looped around the handle of her coffee mug as her other hand came up to shield her eyes from the sun's deadly rays. "Babe, could you close the curtains? You know how I am in the mornings." Rin asked as politely as she could, taking a sip of the sugar junkie's crack the couple called 'coffee'._

 _"Sure thing," Winda said happily, pulling the black out shades she'd gotten just for Rin closed. "Do you have work today?"_

 _Rin appeared behind Winda, placing a hand on the windowsill on either side of the Winda's body, caging her in place. "Now what kinda girlfriend would I be if I didn't have our first anniversary off?" Rin asked, placing small kisses on Winda's left shoulder._

 _Winda turned around in Rin's arms, wrapping her own around the shorter girl's neck. "Why do I have a feeling that having me close that shades was just a ploy to put me in this wonderful cage?" Winda asked joyously as their lips met for yet another soft kiss._

 _"Maaaaaybe it was, maaaaaybe it wasn't," Rin smiled at her, pushing herself closer to her lover. "Guess you'll never know, my little snow angel."_

 _"Ah, my beautiful rose, how you forget my powers of deduction so easily," Winda replied with a whimsical tone that was always music to Rin's ears._

 _"Don't you mean powers of SSSSeduction?" Rin asked, lifting her girlfriend in the air, causing her to squeal, before easing her to the bed, and straddling her hips. "Cuz I'm sure you've got both down pat."_

 _"Your pancakes will get cold," Winda smirked, crawling out from under Rin. "Eat up, then maybe you can have desert."_

 _Rin purred. One blissful year indeed._

 _She set to work on her pancakes as Winda brushed her long white hair back into a ponytail. When Rin offered her a bite of the delicious vanilla pancakes with extra syrup to Winda, she was turned down. "I nibbled the entire time I was cooking them," Winda said, crawling into the king sized bed they shared. "And by nibbled I mean I ate about six, I'm stuffed."_

 _"Not yet, but you will be." Rin smiled evilly when the doorbell rang and she groaned. Winda looked at her puzzled for a second before Rin confirmed her suspicions. "Only one motherfucker stupid enough to show up unannounced this early in the morning."_

 _"Kiba-kun?" Winda asked_

 _"Kiba-kun," Rin nodded. "That boy can ruin a wet dream."_

 _She sighed, finishing the last bite of her pancakes before going to the door which was ringing again. She swung it open, anger written all over her face as she glared at the wolfman behind it. "Once is more than enough Kiba-kun," she scolded._

 _Seeing Rin, Kiba did his best to avert his gaze away from her. "Um, Rin-chan, don't you think you should put on some clothes before answering the door?"_

 _Rin looked down at herself, covered only by a red silk nighty that Winda had gotten her once she had started staying over and rolled her eyes. "First of all, I knew it was you, cuz you're the only one dumb enough to come over this early. Second, you've already seen me naked, so what's the big deal?"_

 _A crash from behind Rin caught her attention and she turned to see Winda picking up the plate she had dropped. "He's what?" Winda growled, glaring daggers at Kiba._

 _"Not like that!" Kiba exclaimed, waving his hands in front of him. "Nothing like that at all!"_

 _"When we first met," Rin explained, she forgotten that she'd never told Winda this story, "I passed out and fell in a pond and got covered in crap. Kiba-kun dove in and saved my ass from drowning. He took me back to the apartment you and I first hooked up in, stripped me down, and cleaned me up, and tended to my wounds."_

 _Winda put the plate in the sink, and moved behind Rin, wrapping her arms around the girls waist pulling her close. She looked up at Kiba with much softer eyes than the murderous expression she'd been giving him prior. "Awright, but remember wolfy, this lil spitfire is all mine." Winda then sunk her teeth into the nape of Rin's neck, eliciting a moan from the short girl, and Kiba once again tried to avert his eyes._

 _"Awright already, I get it." Kiba groaned. "May I come in? I need to discuss something with Rin-chan."_

 _"Depends," Winda said dryly. "Is my adorable little friend with you?" A small bark brought Winda's gaze to the white haired dog standing just behind Kiba with his tongue hanging out slightly. "Whose an adorable little puppy?" Winda called, leading Akamaru to the couch as Kiba took a seat at the small dining room table._

 _"What's up?" Rin asked going into the kitchen, grabbing a green coffee mug. "Everything okay?" She poured coffee into the cup before joining Kiba at the table, sliding the mug over to him._

 _"I guess that would depend on your definition of okay." Kiba relented quietly, sipping the black coffee before continuing. "You need to lay low for a while, Baki-sama is in town."_

 _Rin's world shattered. "Why is he here?" she whispered harshly, hoping like hell Winda wouldn't hear her. "Does he know I'm here?"_

 _"As far as I can tell, no." Kiba explained, taking another sip of coffee, keeping his voice low. "He's acting liaison between Sunagakure and Konohagakure right now. Shikamaru-kun swears he hasn't told anybody outside of Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei about your relocation here, and I believe him." When Rin's eyes fell upon Winda, Kiba decided to push the topic she'd avoided for months. "You should tell her."_

 _"I can't," Rin sighed, shifting her gaze from Winda to Kiba. "If she ever finds out I hid something this big, she'll never forgive me."_

 _"Or maybe she'd understand if you told her the whole story like you did me and Shikamaru-kun."_

 _"It's not that simple, Kiba-kun." Rin stood up, walking a few steps away before turning back to the man she'd grown so attached to over the course of the year. "She doesn't know anything about Sunagakure, my spiritual companions, or me going rogue. It would destroy her to find out I lied about how I ended up here, and how I initially planned to raid her employer's compound and beat the hell out him, or how I originally intended to leave her behind?"_

 _"Yes, but you decided not to long before you even knew Hyuuga employed her. You stayed FOR her. Don't you think that will speak volumes compared to this thing you've kept hidden all this time?" Kiba asked, motion toward the house they were now in. "You two have been together for a year now, and in that time you've more than proven your love for her. I don't think she's so fragile that she'll forget all of the things that you both have given each other?"_

 _The idea turned in Rin's mind, and once again she felt the others trying to join the conversation, but she kept them at bay. After Temari's little peep show one night, Rin had done a much better job at sensing the spirits and learning to control her power a bit better. She still didn't have as much control as she would like, but it was getting easier the more she practiced, and luckily Hinata had understood the need to take such drastic measures and helped her._

 _"I don't know..." Rin gave up as she stared longingly at her lover. She wanted so badly to tell her everything, but something kept holding her back._

 _"Do you not trust Winda-chan enough to tell her?" Kiba inquired._

 _"Seriously, all you fucks need to stop reading my mind." Rin ground out. "Look, it's not that I don't trust her, it's just that I'm afraid how she'll react. I don't wanna lose her."_

 _Kiba finished his coffee, standing up. "That I understand, but it should be her decision on how to react, not yours, Rin-chan."_

 _Rin knew he'd had a point. He always had a point. He was Gaara, if Gaara had a sense of humor. Rin's eyes fell upon Winda again as she contemplated breaking the news to her that the girl she'd been sleeping with for so long had lied to her about something so huge._

 _"You should tell her." She may not have materialized, but Temari's voice filled Rin's head. Temari was one stubborn bitch when she wanted to be and Rin's heart sank._

 _"This is a conversation that needs to be done in private." Rin said, both to the phantom in her head and the big brother that towered over her. "Leave."_

 _Once Kiba had gathered up Akamaru and departed, Winda found Rin in the kitchen leaning over the counter top with a look of despair upon her face. "What's wrong, baby?" Winda asked, running a hand over Rin's shoulders, attempting to soothe her. "Did Kiba-kun have some bad news?"_

 _Rin looked into those beautiful blue eyes and felt her heart break. "We need to talk..." Rin lead Winda to the bedroom, sitting cross-legged on the bed while Winda sat on the edge, a look of worry in her eyes. "Winda-chan, I've lied to you. I've hidden things from you. I'm not the person you think I am..."_

 _Rin decided it was best to pull the pin and lob the grenade quickly. If Winda was going to walk out on her, she'd rather rip off the bandage than slowly tear back the flesh. She told her everything. Kankuro, her ability, the deaths of her friends, the year in isolation. It all came pouring out and Winda sat there, listening intently, tears welling up in both girls eyes as Rin went on and on about how she'd gotten to Konohagakure._

 _When Rin finished she looked at Winda trying to read her reaction. So many scenarios played in her head. Winda walking out. Winda screaming at her. Winda demanding she leave. So many scenarios, and all of them were wrong._

 _Winda didn't scream or lash out. Instead she wrapped her arms around Rin, pulling her tight. "I'm so sorry you've had to endure all of that." Winda whispered in her ear._

 _Rin was taken aback. "You aren't mad?" She asked, wiping away the tear that streamed down her face._

 _Winda shook her head. "It doesn't matter. It's all in the past. We can stay here all day long, and as long as Baki-sama is in the village. I won't let them take you away. Rin began openly weeping as Winda hugged her, rubbing her back. "You're mine, Rin Kurosama, and I protect what's mine."_

 _Rin wrapped her arms around Winda pulling her as close as possible. "Thank you, Winda-chan." She sobbed. She didn't know if she was crying out of despair or happiness, but she didn't care. She let the tears go and surrendered to the woman she loved._

 _Winda took the chance to bring them into a laying position, holding Rin securely in her arms whilst stroking her hair as she wept. She then began quietly humming the song they'd slow danced to the night they had met and Rin calmed down enough to where her sobs were no longer making her convulse. "I love you, Rin Kurosama."_

 _The words brought Rin to her knees every single time she'd heard them uttered. "I love you too, Winda Sioaka." Rin closed her eyes, losing track of time and sense of reality. She breathed in the scent of her lover, sinking into the sweet nirvana she'd found against all odds. Soon she slipped into a deep sleep._

 _XxX_

 _Kankuro paced the length of his chambers nervously. He'd sent Baki to Konohagakure on a mission to interrogate Hiashi Hyuuga and was now trying to understand the intel he'd gathered. He refused to believe the noble had ordered the execution of his own daughter, but the more evidence he'd gathered, the more he had to accept that fact._

 _He turned to the desk where a half empty bottle of sake sat. He sat in the office chair by the desk, taking the bottle into his hand, looking down at it in silent contemplation. Once again his mind drifted to Rin, the person who should be sitting in this office. After half a year of no sightings, Kankuro had accepted she didn't want to be found and returned to the village to act as Kazekage in her absence._

 _He hadn't wanted this position, he was barely able to lead the ANBU. The entire village was proving to be too much for him. He'd found himself relying on the council more often than making decision for the village himself._

 _No more contemplation was necessary. He opened the bottle, gulping down the bitter liquid until the bottle was empty. He leaned back in the chair, waiting for the alcohol to take it's effects. It had been two years since the death of his siblings, but that didn't lessen the pain at all._

 _Kankuro sighed, closing his eyes, allowing an image of Rin to form in his mind. Short, beautiful, headstrong Rin. Her red hair buns jutting out in either direction from her head. The fishnets that crept their way under her skirt and between her fingers. She had been an angel, guiding him through the darkness, and angel he'd pushed away._

 _He cursed himself for being so cruel to his beloved. He hadn't meant to be, but he was harsh. Between the constant drinking and smoking, he'd pushed her away. The only thing he had solace in was the unconfirmed report from Shikamaru that he'd spotted her while on a mission and she was alive and well. A report he'd received three months prior, just after the bodies of several members of the Assassins of Shadows had been discovered with wind burns all over their bodies._

 _"Kankuro-sama," an ANBU soldier stood in his doorway, requesting acknowledgment._

 _"What is it?" Kankuro asked, opening his eyes to allow the soldier know he had the Kazekage's undivided attention._

 _"We found 6 more of the assassins," the soldier reported. "We were able to interrogate this lot, but they didn't give us anything on the group or the events of two years ago."_

 _"Is that all?" Kankuro asked, sitting upright. When the soldier nodded, Kankuro sighed. "I appreciate the update, but that doesn't help us any. Are any of the assassins still alive?"_

 _"Two of them sir," The soldier reported. "The others all found ways to commit suicide. Some of them in very painful ways."_

 _Kankuro nodded, folding his hands across the bridge of his nose. "The more we discover, the more it seems less like we're dealing with rogues and more like we're dealing with a religious cult, doesn't it?"_

 _"Sir?"_

 _"All the members we've encountered have eiuther taken their own lives or fought us until we were forced to kill them," Kankuro thought aloud, recollecting the previous years events. "Not a single one of them will be taken alive, nor will they break rank when interrogated. This leads me to believe this isn't simply a small cell of rogues banning together, rather that someone holds command over these men and women. Could it be?"_

 _"Could it be what sir?" The soldier asked when Kankuro's words drifted off._

 _'Is that bastard back?' Kankuro asked himself, sitting back in his chair deep in thought. 'Asuma-sama said one of Orochimaru's men were among those slain by Rin-chan. Could he be the puppet master pulling these strings?' Kankuro mulled the idea over in his head, resenting the fact that he had to be so wise. "Thank you for the report," Kankuro said in the kindest voice he could muster. Getting angry and lashing out on his troops was not going to help the current circumstances any. When he'd taken up this mantle he promised himself he would be as benevolent a ruler as his younger brother had, and thus never let any of his men see him lose control. "You are relieved of duty. Go home to your family, Soka-kun." The ANBU soldier bowed before his lord, vocalizing his gratitude, before retreating through the open door._

 _Kankuro sighed as he was returned to solitude, feeling the slight tingling feeling in his fingertips. Evidence the alcohol had worked it's way into his system and was now taking it's effect. All the anger and depression he'd previously been feeling melted away. He closed his eyes, allowing the darkness to swallow him whole, without a second thought._

 _XxX_

 _"Did you sleep well?" Winda asked as Rin's emerald eyes blinked open. Rin nodded, snuggling closer to the woman she loved. "Good," Winda soothed, running her fingers through Rin's short fiery hair._

 _Rin was in actual bliss. No more secrets. No more lies. Nothing could come between her and Winda anymore because there was no longer anything to hide. All the cards were on the table, and Winda was still here, holding Rin so lovingly._

 _She wanted to capture the moment and hold onto it forever. Deep in her heart she knew she could never possibly be as happy as she was right now, in her lovers arms. It felt like a dream that she'd never allow herself to wake from. Her previous fears of one lie shattering the amazing life she'd built had all vanished. It wasn't a dream. Rin was in paradise._

 _A ring of the doorbell tore Rin from her thoughts and she groaned. She went to answer it, but Winda held her still. "Let it ring," Winda said softly, which was so out of character for the snow angel. "Today is all about you and me, and Kiba-kun already crashed breakfast, so don't bother." Another ring of the door bell caused Rin to shift slightly, only for Winda to pull her closer. "I'm sure it can wait until tomorrow, hun."_

 _"Definitely can." Temari piped in, finally alerting Rin to her presence. "You and your lady friend already have other plans, don't you?"_

 _Rin groaned, burrowing her head into Winda's chest through her silk white nighty, hoping Temari would get the hint and leave. No such luck. Another groan erupted from Rin causing Winda to become curious. "You're really that upset about not being allowed to answer the door?"_

 _Rin shook her head, looking up into Winda's eyes. "Remember how I told you about the power I have no control over?" Rin asked, hoping like hell Winda hadn't changed her mind about things in the past several hours. Winda nodded in response, so Rin took that as a sign that she hadn't. "Temari-chan is here."_

 _"The pervert?" Winda asked in seriousness._

 _"Hey, who the hell you calling a pervert you pale white, skinny ass, easy bitch?!" Temari huffed, waving her hands in the air angrily._

 _"You ever say that again, I'll end you, Temari-chan." Rin's tone of voice made Temari falter a little. That was not a warning she'd take lightly._

 _"So this is what was going on all the times I walked in on you talking to yourself," Winda noted. "Kinda relieved to know you were actually talking to... on second thought, no. Yourself would probably have been better." She smiled down at Rin who just shrugged in response._

 _"Can't exactly say I'm at fault for this. It isn't something I asked for. Ah, and of course Ms. Hyuuga joins the party." Rin groaned again but was relieved to see Hinata actually taking charge of the relationship for once, covering Temari's mouth before she could lash out again._

 _"I hope my intrusion does not upset you, Rin-chan." Hinata spoke quietly, still keeping Temari's troublemaker covered. "But I assumed you could use a spare hand. Happy anniversary, by the way."_

 _Rin smiled at soft spoken Hyuuga's words. "Not at all," Rin chimed, focusing her chakra. "I thank you on both fronts. I'm sorry to have to do this, but ya know..." Hinata nodded her head in acknowledgment as she and Temari disappeared from the room._

 _"Forced them away?" Winda asked, trying to keep up with the exchange, but only having half of the picture to go off of._

 _"Yeah," Rin said, looking up at Winda. "As you said, today is about us and no one else." Rin wrapped her arms around Winda's neck, pulling her into a tender kiss. Rin usually didn't like being the submissive, but it was a special day, so she figured she could act like a normal girl for once and let Winda take charge._

 _When Winda broke the kiss Rin held her eyes closed for another moment before opening them to find white strands of hair cascading down Winda's face, tickling at Rin's cheeks. "Thank you, my precious rose," Winda whispered._

 _"Anything for my little snow bunny," Rin replied and was disappointed when was restrained from planting another kiss on the beautiful woman hovering just centimeters from her face._

 _"We've been together for a year, Rin-chan," Winda smirked at the girl beneath her. "Do you honestly think I haven't caught on to the different nicknames you call me and their meanings? You may get lucky, but not right this second." Rin pouted her bottom lip out childishly, but it didn't have much of an effect on her partner. Winda pecked a kiss on Rin's cheek, before climbing out of bed._

 _Winda made her way to the closet and was about to pull out a blue dress when Rin's voice sounded from the bed. "No," Rin protested, distaste obvious in her tone. Winda moved her hand to a green dress and Rin shook her head. Figuring third time was the charm Winda placed her hand on the white blouse she'd worn the night she'd met Rin. "Nope," Rin smiled._

 _"Rin-chan," Winda's tone had taken on the slightest hint of annoyance. "I want to please you today, but I'm not going to walk around all day half naked," When she saw a shine in Rin's eyes she figured she should add to that list. "Or actually naked."_

 _Rin feinted shock, with a clearly over exaggerated gasp. "I would never be so crude as to ask for you to walk around naked all day, how dare you even imply such a thing!"_

 _"You literally asked me three days ago, and my answer is now what it was then. Not happening." Winda stated, deadpan. She absentmindedly pulled something out of the closet and Rin jumped on her, yanking the dress out of her hand._

 _"Okay, but today I'm actually not asking for that." Rin smiled, running her fingers through Winda's long hair, undoing her ponytail in the process. "You don't have to be naked, but no dresses, blouses, skirts, ponytails, make-up, or lady stilts!" Rin proclaimed, placing Winda's dress back in the closet._

 _Winda raised an eyebrow at her girlfriend in curiosity. "You do realize that eliminates almost my entire wardrobe, correct?"_

 _"Precisely," Rin said with a conniving smile. "ALMOST your entire wardrobe, but there is a particular outfit that I think you look absolutely stunning in."_

 _"And what, pray tell, might that be?" Winda asked as Rin moved toward her dresser. Winda's raised another eyebrow when Rin produced a pair of over-sized black sweatpants and white spaghetti stringed tank top from the dresser with a grin spread wide across her face. "You're serious? I looked like a bum in that outfit when I was sick. Out of all these dresses, blouses, and skirts, you want me to wear a pair of sweatpants?"_

 _Rin nodded, returning to her girlfriend. "I actually thought you looked like the most beautiful creature in the world." her voice was soft, as if she were losing herself in a dream. "The rest of the world gets to see you in all those fancy shmancy dresses and skirts, but only I get to see the beauty with her hair in a mess in over-sized sweatpants, so yes. Out of all your other clothes, these are my favorite."_

 _"Rin-chan..." Winda's voice was barely audible as she found herself entranced by the redhead before her. Rin had always surprised her, had always made her feel loved, but it wasn't until this very moment that she did something that shouldn't have been possible. Without a touch, or a kiss, or a look, Rin's words alone shook Winda to her core. She'd never felt so appreciated before in her entire life, but with each passing day, Rin had found new was to make sure she knew how special she was to the kunoichi. Even if she hated the way she looked in the outfit, she'd happily slipped into it for the girl that made each day a heaven on earth._

 _"Simply breathtaking," Rin sighed contently as Winda finished dressing herself in front of Rin._

 _"Get over here," Winda said, trying to hide tears of joy as she grabbed a hold of Rin's nighty between her pointer finger and thumb. She pulled the tiny girl as close as possible, wrapping her arms around Rin's waist, closing her eyes, catching Rin's lips in a kiss that she could only hope made Rin feel as happy as she'd just made Winda. She felt the girl's arms slide around her neck, locking behind her head, pulling her even deeper into the kiss._

 _They slowly broke apart, neither one wanting to, and stared into each other's eyes. Winda placed her forehead against Rin's smiling down at the girl, not caring as a few tears slipped through her eyes. "Rin Kurosama, after every day with you I find myself asking myself one question, and can never find the answer."_

 _"What's the question?" Rin asked, cupping Winda's cheek in her hand._

 _Winda nuzzled into Rin's hand, relishing the touch. "How in the holy hell did I become so blessed to have you in my life?" Winda asked, losing herself in Rin's emerald eyes._

 _"You kissed me." Rin said with a smile on her face. "Since that moment, I've been addicted to everything about you. You're like this amazing drug that causes a high better than anything I've ever felt." Rin smiled, letting her memories float to the surface of her mind. "The next day, when you were afraid I'd leave, I didn't have the guts to tell you I couldn't. I can't escape this feeling you cause when you're near, and even if I could, I wouldn't want to. You don't have to say a word or make a move. I drink in your smile, and I'm hooked."_

 _Tears streamed down Winda's face. "You're my dream come true." Winda pulled Rin into yet another kiss, sharing with her the love she felt deep in her heart._


	13. Chapter 13 : Heaven

_Chapter 13_

 _"Winda-chan, will you marry me?" Rin was down on her knee in front of Winda, a small golden banned ring with a tiny red diamond glittered from the a jewlery box she held in her hand. Her jade green eyes started glossing over once the question had been asked. Her mind was in overdrive as she contemplated all the possible scenarios that could play out._

 _"OF COURSE YOU IDIOT!" Winda tackled Rin into the grass next to the pond where they had been having a picnic. Her lips quickly found Rin's as their fingers intertwined._

 _Once the kiss was broken, Rin just looked up at the pale girl hovering over her, dumbfounded. "I think that was actually better than the answer I was hoping for," Rin smirked at the girl, pecking her on the cheek, slipping the ring onto Winda's left hand._

 _Winda squealed, admiring the glittering beauty, before realizing something. "Rin-chan, this must have been expensive," Winda said in a slightly worrisome tone, "You didn't have to do that. You didn't have to get me a ring at all. I-"_

 _Rin cut her off with a soft peck on the lips before Winda could ramble on any further. "I know, but I wanted to." She said, brushing a few strands of hair that had broken from Winda's ponytail behind her ear. "You're worth it."_

 _Winda couldn't believe how in the two years that she'd lived with the redhead beneath her Rin could and did always find new ways to surprise her. She looked down at the ring and was overcome with a joy she'd never experienced before. Her eyes found Rin's and she felt her heart skip a beat with the affectionate look Rin had been showing her with._

 _"You're all that I want from this world, Winda-chan." Rin's voice was music to her ears. "I'll give you everything I have to give to show you that."_

 _"Your love is all that I need," Winda chimed, brushing her lips against Rin's softly. "Give me that, and I'll always be your snow bunny."_

 _Rin's body heated immediately on it's own accord to the words that fell upon her ears. She didn't waste a single second, capturing her finace's lips with her own, flipping their bodies over so she was on top. With a quick glance at Winda's hazy eyes Rin kissed down her jawline, sinking her teeth into the nape of Winda's neck, causing a moan to shake the girl beneath her. This may have not been in Rin's design when she'd thought about this night, but it had certainly become a welcome addition._

 _XxX_

 _"Kankuro-kun, do you have anything to report on the current situation at hand?" Shikamaru asked, leaning against a bookshelf as the Kazekage entered his chambers._

 _Kankuro was surprised by the Leaf's ANBU leader, but he'd been expecting the visit for a few weeks now. "Rin-chan is presumed dead," Kankuro stated coldly. "The council is moving to appoint me as permanent Kazekage in wake of this determination." Kankuro moved toward that balcony, looking out on Sunagakure's night sky._

 _"I can assure you," Shikamaru knew what his promise entailed, but always seemed to blur the lines on it, "Rin-chan is NOT dead."_

 _Kankuro spun to face the lazy, laid back ninja with anger in his eyes. "Two years. For two years you've kept me out of the loop, Shikamaru-kun! You keep giving me these kernels of information that Rin-chan is alive and well, yet you never seem to actually give me anything other than false hope!" Kankuro's rage fueled his voice, causing it to boom throughout the entirety of the Kazekage's quarters._

 _Shikamaru sighed watching one of his best friends in the world yelling at him. The hurt Kankuro endured at every mention of Rin was painfully evident. 'Sorry, Rin-chan.' He knew there was no other choice at this point and finally gave Kankuro the news he wished he'd never have to hear about. "Rin-chan is alive. She is well. She is happy. She's also never returning to Sunagakure."_

 _Kankuro stalked over to his friend, curling his fingers into the man's vest, dragging him close. "Where is she?" The voice that fell from Kankuro's lips was lathered with hatred and malice. He looked over Shikamaru who shrugged slightly._

 _"Kankuro-kun, I know you're attempting to be threatening, but all you're doing is making a fool of yourself." Shikamaru said, removing himself from the puppet ninja's clutches. "Rin-chan has found peace, so let the subject be." When it seemed Kankuro was going to protest, Shikamaru had had enough. "You're the asshole that pushed her away! We all understood that it was a hard time for you, but she was there for you and instead you pushed her away and fell into a bottle. You only have yourself to blame for her leaving. You can act high and mighty all you want, but you threw her away long before she left. She's gone and she's not coming back."_

 _Shikamaru losing his composure was a rarity Kankuro always hated being on the receiving end of. Deep down he knew the slacker was right, but all he wanted to do was fix things. Three years may have been a long time to wait before doing so, but he'd always hoped that Rin would come home to him and they'd be able to pick up where they'd left off._

 _"Do you think you could tell her I'm sorry?" Kankuro asked, his once booming voice now reduced to the volume of a loud whisper. He looked over to the strategist and swallowing any shred of pride he'd had left as tears drifted from the corners of his eyes, trailing down the make-up he wore._

 _"No, I cannot." Shikamaru relented, lighting a cigarette before offering one to Kankuro who waved him off. "She's happy, at peace. I won't lie and say that she has forgotten about you, because she hasn't, but I will not be the one to reopen that wound." Shikamaru inhaled on his cigarette, casting a low orange glow on Kankuro's darkened tear-stained face._

 _"Is she still-"_

 _"Looking for the assassins? No. You haven't found any more bodies as of late, have you?" Shikamaru asked, moving toward the balcony. He leaned against the railing, exhaling copious amounts of smoke._

 _"No, I suppose we haven't," Kankuro relented, joining Shikamaru against the balcony's fence. His voice clearly speaking volumes more than his words._

 _"She's safe and secure, don't you worry your pretty little head. You've still got a village to look after." Shikamaru was trying to set Kankuro's mind at ease, but wasn't having an easy time doing so. "I know it's not a responsibility you wanted to have, but it's yours now. Can't hold a position for someone who will never reclaim it."_

 _"I get it, Shikamaru-kun," Kankuro sighed, looking up at the roof where he'd sat with Gaara so many times before. "There's no need to turn the knife anymore. If Rin-chan is happy and safe, I will not interfere with that. She'll always have a home here if she ever wishes to return, but I cannot force her to do so."_

 _"Any updates on the assassins?" Shikamaru asked, not so subtly changing the topic._

 _"We were able to prolong our last prisoner's life long enough to finally move on what we already suspected. Hyuuga Hiashi did, in fact, order the assassination." Kankuro said, casting a sideways glance at his friend. "I have done my best to keep that information from the council, but you and I both know they have their methods for obtaining information regardless of it coming from me or not."_

 _Shikamaru nodded, meeting Kankuro's look. "They'll want war."_

 _"But I do not," Kankuro reassured him. "Gaara-kun and Tsunade-sama created our peace treaty together and I have no desire to see it torn asunder. Unfortunately the council has just as much power as I do, if not more. If they call for war, the village will undoubtedly rally."_

 _"Is there anyone on the council you trust?"_

 _"Baki-sensei is the only one I know for certain would be on my side if it came to choosing. The others... They weren't too keen on Gaara-kun being Kazekage. His alcoholic brother isn't liable to hold much higher regards in their minds."_

 _"A corrupt council, a cult of assassins, and allies spread thin. How troublesome." Shikamaru sighed, flicking the butt of his cigarette off the balcony. "Just like old times."_

 _"Yeah, but back then it was Naruto-kun that saved the day," Kankuro reminded the genius. "We now have no clue where he is or what he's been up to for the last year and a half."_

 _"We weren't too bad ourselves," Shikamaru reminded the puppet master. "Don't forget, even though we were on opposite sides we still were able to deal with the opposition long enough for the battle to come to a head."_

 _"I still cannot believe my father had formed a pact with Orochimaru." Kankuro said, shaking his head. "Now I'm hunting down a cult that could potentially have links to that man."_

 _"Circle of life, my friend. Circle of life"_

 _XxX_

 _"Congratulations, Rin-chan." Kiba smiled proudly at the pair showing off the ring upon Winda's finger._

 _"Thanks, Kiba-kun." Rin looked around at the small family she'd built. After half a year of unsuccessful attempts, Rin had finally learned how to let others see her ghostly companions and speak with them, but had not yet found away for the living and the dead to interact outside of small talk._

 _"Oh, my." Hinata gushed over the ring. "It's so beautiful! You must be so happy, Winda-chan!"_

 _"Actually I would've been fine with no ring," Winda smiled at the raven haired girl who was hunched over her left hand, taking in the sight. "Rin-chan could have just asked and I would have said yes. I can't imagine life without my rose petal."_

 _"I knew you were easy," Temari chuckled and immediately regretted it when Rin punched her across the cheek, knocking her to the ground. "Why you little..."_

 _"I told you never to call her easy, Temari-chan." Rin reminded her, cracking her knuckles._

 _"Knock it off you two," Gaara scolded in a fatherly manner, sitting off from the rest of the group, but keeping an eye on each of them. "This isn't a day for that. Temari-chan there's no need for insults. Rin-chan there's no need for violence."_

 _"It's okay," Winda sighed contently, gazing at Rin. "It's very charming that Rin-chan wants to preserve my honor, but Gaara-kun is right, there's no need for physicality."_

 _"She started it," Rin grumbled returning to the stool at the kitchen counter, next to her beloved. She began to feel slightly weak, which meant she was expending a lot of chakra to let Kiba and Winda see the others. "Time to go guys, I'm sorry."_

 _"We'll see you later," Winda and Kiba said in unison as the three phantoms faded into nothing. "You okay, hun?" Winda asked, looking nervously at Rin who was a bit paler than usual._

 _Rin nodded, biting into an apple that she'd taken from the basket at the counter. "Yeah, just didn't know how much of a strain it would be letting you both see all three of them at the same time."_

 _"I'm glad you broke the connection when you did. Last thing we need today is a trip to the hospital." Kiba joked, falling lazily into the couch where Gaara had been sitting._

 _Rin just shrugged, taking another bite of the apple when Winda pulled her out of the chair, dragging her to the living room where Kiba was. "Kiba-kun, Rin-chan has something she wishes to ask of you!"_

 _Rin swallowed the bit of apple she'd been chewing before giving her girlfriend a puzzled look. "I do?"_

 _"Yep, you two talk, c'mon Akamaru." Winda chimed, leading Akamaru to the back yard as Rin and Kiba sat in stunned confusion._

 _"Ask away, I guess." Kiba said awkwardly, looking up at the ceiling._

 _"So, um..." Rin didn't know where to start. "Winda and I are getting married..."_

 _"Oh really? I thought that engagement ring was just for decoration," Kiba's tone teased Rin._

 _"Yeah, well... ya see... You're the only friend I actually have that's still alive." Rin shifted uneasily, hoping she wasn't coming across as some sort of sociopath. "Winda-chan and I don't want a huge wedding, just something small and romantic." Rin thought about it some more, then decided on the correct wording. "Something intimate. Anyway, I was wondering, you're the closest thing I have to a father now, so I was hoping that you could give me away..."_

 _Kiba's head snapped down, looking skeptically at Rin. "Holy hell, you actually ARE a girl, aren't you Rin-chan?"_

 _"What the hell is that supposed to mean, wolfy?" Rin glared at the person she'd just asked to act a her father and was ready to throttle him._

 _"What it means," Kiba smirked, his canines poking out from behind his lips. "Is that I've watched you hunt, fight, and eat. I've heard the stuff that comes outta your mouth, and been on the receiving end of some jokes that weren't always kind."_

 _"Get on with it, Kiba-kun," Rin rolled her eyes. He may have been a guy, but he certainly rambled on like a girl talking about her crush sometimes._

 _"I don't know, you just never seemed like a girly girl."_

 _"Usually I'm not, and if you ever call me that again I'll make you wish you were never born." Rin said in a warning tone. "Try me."_

 _"Theres the badass I know and love," Kiba smiled, patting Rin on the head who was starting to get fed up with the fact that everybody, including her tiny fiance, was taller than her._

 _"So is that a yes or..."_

 _"Yes, Rin-chan, I would be honored to give you away to Winda-chan," Kiba smiled at her, though he couldn't help but crack one last joke. "As long as you guys wait until I'm out of the room before you 'consummate your love'."_

 _ **WHACK**_

 _Rin had her fan in hand, smacking Kiba across the head with it like it was a baseball bat. Winda, clearly hearing the smack ran in to find Kiba lying on the couch and Rin holding her fan. "Rin-chan, was that really necessary?"_

 _"You shoulda heard what he said to me," Rin said, sitting her fan back on the floor by the couch. "You'd wanna kill him too."_

 _"Perhaps, but I wouldn't act on that notion," Winda said, kneeling next to Kiba, examining his head._

 _"Oh please, he'll be fine. I barely put any force into that one," Rin rolled her eyes again. "He's just overreacting."_

 _"You damn near gave me a concussion, Rin-chan!" Kiba yelled at her, regaining his consciousness._

 _Rin shrugged, making her way to the bedroom, pulling off her hoodie as she went. "Better leave, Kiba-kun, Winda-chan and I are gonna 'consummate our love'." Rin warned, and quicker than a flash Kiba and Akamaru were out the door, shouting goodbye as they left._

 _"Are we really?" Winda asked Rin, skeptically._

 _"Yes, but not in the definition you're thinking of." Rin said, taking Winda by the hand and leading her to the bedroom that was covered with rose petals and smelled strongly of vanilla._

 _Rin pulled Winda close to her, wrapping her arms around the girl's waist, humming the song Winda had the first time they'd slow danced. Winda laid her head on Rin's shoulder, wrapping her arms around the tiny girls neck, falling into the rhythm Rin had set, slowly and steadily rocking back and forth._

 _"I love you, Rin-chan," Winda whispered, nuzzling Rin's neck._

 _"I love you too, Winda-chan." Rin smiled happily, recalling what Winda had told her on their first anniversary that had made Rin go weak in the knees. "You're my dream come true."_

 _Winda smiled, sighing contently. Soon Rin had stopped humming and was leading her to the bed, using small gusts of wind to blow out the candles in the room, leaving it completely dark. Winda was sure she knew what Rin had in mind, but was taken aback when Rin just pulled her to the bed and wrapped her arms around Winda's body._

 _"No snow bunny?" Winda asked as innocently as she could._

 _Rin just shook her head, pulling her fiance closer to her. "I'm already in a blissful heaven," Rin said softly. Winda couldn't find words to speak. She buried her face in Rin's chest, inhaling her scent, adoring the fact Rin never wore perfumes of any kind. Her natural scent always soothed Winda in a way that no other could._

 _'If you only knew, Rin-chan,' Winda thought cuddling closer to the woman she loved so dearly. 'We're both in heaven.'_


	14. Chapter 14 : Let Me Go

_Chapter 14_

 _"My understanding is that the couple has written their own vows, is this correct?" Asuma was standing in front of the lovers, cigarette hanging from his lips. When both girls nodded at him he took a step back, allowing them the full attention of the onlookers._

 _"Winda-chan," Rin sighed, taking her lover's hands into her own. "You came into my life at a time where I was second guessing every action I took. I was beaten, defeated, and ready to give up on life when I found you, and you brought light back into the world I hadn't even realized had grown so dark. You reached into that abyss and pulled me out, and ever since, every moment I spend with you has become one I cherish. You're all that I want, and I never want to be apart from you, ever again. I love you, Winda-chan."_

 _Winda held back tears as she smiled at Rin's words. They'd elected to keep them a secret until the moment they were here, and she was so glad they had. Hearing those words for the first time caused Winda's heart to skip a beat, and she wished the ceremony were already over so she could kiss the girl whom would soon be her wife, but she held her composure._

 _"Rin-chan," Winda took a deep breath to even her voice before continuing, "From the first day we met you have found new ways to captivate me. Every single day with you has become a blissful one and every night in your arms I feel safer than I ever have. Words can't convey what you mean to me. Every little surprise you've given me has made my heart skip beats and left me weak in the knees, and I wouldn't want it any other way. Your love is the best thing I have ever had the privilege of experiencing, and every day I feel like I don't deserve you, but you always pull me in and reassure me that this... us... it's meant to be. I love you too, Rin-chan."_

 _Rin didn't hold back the tears that streamed down her face, drinking in her beautiful partner. No dresses, no skirts, no lady stilts. Just blue jeans and a sky blue t-shirt was all that Winda had chosen for this momentous occasion, and between the beauty of her lover and the words that tugged at Rin's heart, she couldn't help but cry._

 _"Do you, Rin-chan, take Winda Sioaka to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Asuma had stepped back in front of the lovers, a new cigarette hanging from his lips as he recited the passage he'd heard so many times before._

 _"I do," Rin nodded, staring into Winda's deep blue eyes. She felt like she could spend an eternity lost in the serentity of Winda's gaze._

 _"And do you, Winda-chan, take Rin Kurosama to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Asuma asked, his eyes focused on Winda._

 _"I do," Winda whispered. She was ready for the next line. Every passing second became a torturous one as she waited._

 _"I now pronounce you wife, and wife." Asuma declared, pulling the cigarette from his mouth. "You may kiss the bride."_

 _Winda didn't was another solitary second. She laced her arms around Rin's neck, pulling the girl into her as tight as possible, closed her eyes, and kissed her wife. She felt Rin's arms wrap around her waist, pulling her even closer as the small crowed cheered for the newlyweds._

 _They broke their kiss turning to their friends with smiles on their faces. Kiba, Hinata, Kurenai, Temari, Gaara, and even Shikamaru were all blowing whistles, and congratulating the happy couple. Rin felt the heavy hand of Asuma fall on her shoulder and turned to find a look of pride upon his face, aimed directly at her._

 _Winda was quickly whisked from Rin's hands by Kurenai and Hinata gushing over the beatiful ceremony and Rin just shook her head, watching the whole ordeal unfold in front of her eyes. Three and a half years had culminated into this one stupendous night._

 _"Good job," Asuma whispered to the hoodie clad kunoichi. "Kurenai-chan and I are happy to see you at such peace."_

 _Rin smiled. Asuma's words were earnest and true. She turned to meet the man's look head on with as much gusto as she could muster. "Thank you, Asmua-sama, but it begs the question as to whether or not you and Kurenai-sama will be next." It was rare for Asuma to be caught off guard in such a manner, but Rin was definitely happy to she she'd accomplish it._

 _Asuma was about to speak when a certain blonde kunoichi jumped on Rin's back, hanging from her. "Congratulations, Rin-chan!" Temari squealed in the young girl's ear right before the pair crashed to the ground in a heap._

 _"Temari-chan, you know I'm already using up a lot of chakra, what on earth would make you think jumping on me was a good idea!" Rin growled angrily, causing Asuma to laugh at the duo._

 _Temari quickly crawled back to Rin, wrapping her arms tight around the girl's neck in a literal breath taking hug. "I'm just so happy for you!" Temari squealed, but noting Rin's face was starting to match her hoodie, released the death clamp around the girl's trachea._

 _"Thank you, Temari-chan." Rin replied, lightening her tone. "I'm glad you all could be..."_

 _An explosion sounded near by causing Rin to release the connection to her friends as the living spectators rushed outside to find the source of the commotion. The Hyuuga compound was in flames, burning before their very eyes. Asuma and Kurenai took off instantly, Shikamaru soon following behind._

 _Kiba and Rin cast a glance at Winda who smiled, telling them to go. That was one thing Winda loved, even though Rin had officially given up being a kunoichi, she was still quick to help others in need. She watched as the pair vanished, silently wishing them luck._

 _"What do you think is going on?" Rin called to her companion as he and Akamaru separated from each other, preparing for battle._

 _"Don't know," Kiba answered trying to find a scent besides the smoke billowing from the compound. "The smoke is tampering with my senses, we need to get closer."_

 _As they approached the compound, Rin was overcome with a sense of uneasiness she hadn't felt in a long time. Something was wrong. She was about to call out to Kiba when he and Akamaru spotted somebody, causing Akamaru to transform, and attacked them with Fang Passing Fang._

 _With Kiba in combat, Rin decided the best course of action was to check for survivors. She used her chakra to create a vortex of wind around her head, before launching herself into the burning compound, rolling on the floor so her back took the brunt of the impact._

 _"Hello?" She called, her voice muffled by the swirling wind that was giving her oxygen. Many ninja lay bloodied upon the floor with deep lacerations across their bodies as she carefully crept her way through the pyre. "Is anybody in here?!"_

 _"Here," Hiashi choked, falling out of the office._

 _Rin halted. The man that had caused her so much misery now lie before her, bloody and burned. Up until this moment she'd been able to ignore her searing hatred for the pathetic excuse of a man known as Hyuuga Hiashi, but now he was at her mercy._

 _Rin was about to turn and leave when the thought of Winda crept into her mind. She knew what the right thing to do was, she just wasn't too keen on acting upon it. She cursed under her breath, grabbing hold of Hiashi, forcing oxygen into his lungs, taking an evil pride when he'd began hacking on the very thing that was saving his life. 'Guess I used a little too much,' Rin thought as another explosion erupted somewhere in the building, causing the floor she was on to give way._

 _Her and Hiashi crashed onto the first floor beneath them. Rin took only a moment to readjust herself before scrambling to her feet, helping Hiashi up off the floor. She then proceeded to move toward the exit, but was quickly knocked back by someone kicking her in the face._

 _Looking around she found her assailant and immediately started throwing balls of solidified wind at him that caught fire mere seconds after leaving her hands, but each time one hit him he began shimmering, always appearing just out of range of the attacks. Rin turned to see Hiashi unconscious, having hit his head upon impact of the floor, before her eyes returned to her assailant._

 _She didn't have another option, as the shimmering man kept his steady approach. Rin thew a gust of wind to the flames directly in front of the man, causing them to shoot up. She figured that would slow his advance, but he moved through them like they were a mere annoyance._

 _Rin took a deep breath before expelling the vortex of wind surrounding her, sending it in an outward projection with as much force as she could. That seemed to do the trick, knocking her combatant across the hall, colliding with the opposite end of it. She didn't miss a beat, grabbing Hiashi's lifeless body, throwing him and herself through a nearby window, narrowly avoiding the collapsing hall._

 _Once outside, Rin began performing CPR on Hiashi. She'd force wind into his lungs via her jutsu before starting compressions. After what seemed like an eternity the man sprung to life, coughing black sludge onto the ground. Rin glared down at him, letting her hatred take her over. She wrapped her hand around his face, slamming his head to the earth as hard as she could, causing him to go limp. She checked his pulse to make sure he was still alive before running off._

 _Rin rounded a corner of the burning building, locating Kiba who was taking on two men at once. Rin was about to intervene when she noticed something on one of the men Kiba was fighting- a Sunagakure ANBU Black Ops mask._

 _Rin took a step back, shaking with fear. Were the ANBU here for her? If so, why attack the Hyuuga compound? She was about to turn and run in the opposite direction when she heard Kiba howl in pain, being knocked several feet back by a tag team attack from the pair he'd been fighting._

 _"GALEFORCE TORNADO!" Rin cried, whipping up a vortex powerful enough to start sucking in everything around it, hurling it at the men attacking Kiba. One rolled out of the way just in time, the other took the full force of the impact, sending him flying into the air before crashing to the ground going limp._

 _"Little girl has moves," the ANBU soldier noted, preparing for a fight._

 _"Kiba-kun," Rin instructed once Kiba was back on his feet, "go find Kurenai-sama or Asuma-sama, and bring them back here." Kiba moved to protest, when Rin shot him a glare. "He's ANBU, way outta our league, we're going to need help. Go, now!" Kiba nodded his head as he and Akamaru took off._

 _Once she was sure Kiba was out of ear shot, even for him, she turned back to the man with the ANBU mask. "What are Sunagakure's ANBU forces doing in Konohagakure?" she demanded, staring down her opposition._

 _"Hello again, Rin-chan." The man taunted, removing his mask. The unveiled assailant caused every last ideal of peace to evaporate from Rin's head._

 _"You..." She saw the man who had originally taunted her back in Sunagakure when she'd found Gaara dead. The scars on his face were painfully evident that he'd been the victim of a wind-style jutsu at some point. She'd known a few of the assassins had escaped her hurricane, but never thought he could have been one of them._

 _Rin pulled the scroll from her back, opening it. He may have escaped before, but he wasn't about to now. She clasped her hands together, forming the seal of the Ram, and summoned a large black handled scythe twice her size from her scroll. "No... mercy."_

 _Rin charged at the man, swinging the new massive weapon, only for him to dodge it and start forming hand seals of his own. Rin hadn't actually seen any of his jutsu prior, but knew she couldn't afford to let him gain the upper hand. She whipped her scythe around pouring chakra into it. "KAMAITATCHI! SLICING WIND BLADES!" She howled, aiming the gust directly at her opponent._

 _The man twirled in midair, missing the gust by mere centimeters, before firing his own jutsu back at Rin. "EARTH STYLE: EARTH DRAGON JUTSU!" A serpent formed just behind him, made completely of the ground it was twisting and turning to form itself, and launched at Rin._

 _She pulled herself behind her scythe, summoning a Wind Shield, not taking any damage, but was surprised to find herself having labored breathing so early into the fight. Something was definitely wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on it._

 _Once the dragon had made it's pass, Rin whipped her scythe around, summoning another Galeforce Tornado, but her opponent saw it coming and dodged it again. Rin knew ranged attacks weren't going to get the job done. She stabbed her scythe into the ground, summoning her chakra to her body. "Galeforce Armor, FORM!" Wind started whipping around her as she began to notice the all too familiar feel of the armor clinging to her body. "Galeforce Armor, PROPULSION!" She launched toward her foe, starting to get an eerily familiar sensation, but she squashed it down._

 _Her right fist connected with the man's face, sending him careening to the ground. She figured the hit had been solid enough to buy her a moment, but the man quickly regained altitude, punching her in the gut, before spinning her around, throwing her back to the ground._

 _Rin crumbled as she hit the hard earth at terminal velocity. The armor around her shattered on impact and she now lie on the ground bloodied. She tried to summon wind to her again, but this time to no avail. The tickling in the back of her neck told her all she needed to know. She was out of chakra. She closed her eyes, waiting for death, but it never came._

 _She heard a clash of metal and lifted her head just enough to see a sight that stunned her in fear. Winda, brandishing a short sword, holding off the man's Kunai. Winda growled, pushing back against the man who jumped a few feet away, sheathing his kunai._

 _"Winda-chan, how good it is to see you," the man said in voice that told Rin they were familiar with each other. "How have you been?"_

 _"What the hell are you doing in Konohagakure, Redek?" Winda growled, swinging her sword around in her hand. "I warned all of you that this place was off limits!"_

 _"The Hyuuga was going to spill his guts to Sunagakure!" the man spat, anger obvious in his tone. "You know we couldn't have that!"_

 _"You should have let me handle it!" Winda yelled back, charging at the man who was quick to withdraw his kunai and block her._

 _"You seem to be having an issue with handling our problems as of late," Redek yelled, jumping off of the flat side of Winda's sword. "Why is that girl still alive?"_

 _"She's off limits too!" Winda howled, jumping up toward Redek, swinging her sword furiously. "She's mine!"_

 _Rin sat up, immediately doubling over in pain. She didn't know what was going on, but she had to save Winda. It was the only thing she could think of. She focused all her thought into trying to summon a gust of wind, but only accomplished a light breeze._

 _"Shit, Rin-chan! ICE STYLE: GIANT VORTEX JUTSU!" Winda was aiming at an earth clone Redek had produced that was slowly approaching Rin on the ground with a kunai in it's hand. The clone immediately crumbled upon impact, and Redek, figuring he'd gotten the upper hand, tried to stab Winda in the back, but was met with the flat end of Winda's sword. "I'm not that gullible, Redek." Winda spat as she fell to the ground._

 _She whipped around, swinging her sword toward Redek who was letting gravity fuel a charge on Winda, but he disappeared in a puff of smoke. A shadow clone. Winda drug her sword across the ground, blocking another kunai attack from Redek who growled, leg sweeping her._

 _Winda fell on her back, quickly rolling out of the way before Redek brought his fists down to stab her through the heart. She used all her might, forcing herself off the ground, planting her feet on Redek's chest before back flipping away from him._

 _"Damn," She muttered under her breath when Redek seemed unfazed by her kick. "We're too evenly matched." She closed her eyes, forming hand seals. Without her sword, her jutsu was all she really had at her disposal. "ICE STYLE: ICE DRAGON JUTSU!" Scraping sounds could be heard from a nearby well as a giant serpent made entirely of ice erupted from it's cavern, charging at Redek who managed to produce an Earth dragon just in time to shield himself._

 _Redek then charged at Winda, finally piercing his kunai through her, but was immobilized when he went to withdraw it. He realized all to late that his hands were encased by an ice clone, as Winda dropped onto him from the sky, digging her knees into his face._

 _The two crashed to the ground, snarling at each other, but Redek had one last trick up his sleeve. He threw Winda off of him, forming a few more hand signs before slamming an open palm to the ground "EARTH STYLE: ETERNAL PRISON JUTSU!"_

 _Winda knew the jutsu well and jumped in the air to avoid it, and was quickly stabbed through the stomach by Redek who had only been using the jutsu as a diversion. Blood spurted from her lips and her eyes found Rin, still curled up in pain. "Ya know, Redek, for being such a skilled fighter, you're awfully stupid." She snaked her arms around the man, holding him tight. "Self sacrificing art. Ice style: Mirror Prison Jutsu." Ice began to crawl it's way up the pair and Redek forced himself away from Winda before it could take hold, thankful that he'd depleted her chakra so much._

 _Winda's body crashed to the ground a few feet from Rin who stared in shock and horror. She crawled over to the girl, finding the gaping wound in her stomach. "Winda-chan?" Tears streamed down Rin's face as she stared at the grisly scene. Her skin was paler than ever, her lips parted slightly. The once blue t-shirt she'd been wearing was now dyed a sickening blood red. "Winda-chan!" Rin roared, wind whipping around her as if it to were feeling her pain and anger. Her emerald eyes began to glow bright as she turned on Redek._

 _"GALEFORCE RECKONING!" Rin screamed and the wind responded. It encapsulated Redek in it's howl, tearing at him. It shred his clothing away before slicing through the skin underneath, digging like daggers into his flesh. He howled in agony as the razor sharp wind tore through him, cutting nearly every centimeter of his body._

 _Redek had been about to pass out from the pain when Rin forced air into his lungs to keep him awake. She then extracted all of it, leaving him gasping for a second before forcing it back in, choking him. She kept this up for a long while, causing him every bit of agony she felt, never releasing him from the torture until Kurnenai arrived, dragging Rin away from her mutilating torture._

 _"Rin-chan, you need to stop!" Kurenai screamed as the wind began digging into her skin. She took no heed of her own self as she tried desperately to snap Rin out of the murderous trance she'd entered. "Rin-chan!"_

 _Rin could barely hear Kurenai's pleads over the roar of the Galeforce surrounding her. She could barely feel Kurenai's arms holding her close, dragging her away from her target, but once she saw the wind was digging into Kurenai as well as Redek, she released her hold, collapsing into Kurenai's awaiting embrace._

 _" _Temari-sensei, what is love?" a prepubescent teen looked up at her blonde haired sensei with a look of wonder in her eyes.__

 _" _That isn't exactly an easy question to answer, Rin-chan." Temari said softly, crouching beside the young redhead. "Why do you ask?"__

 _" _Because I wanna know!" Rin exclaimed throwing her hands up in frustration. "I can never get a straight answer from adults, they all just say I'll know when I'm older, but I wanna know now!"__

 _ _Temari couldn't help but smile at the young girl, taking a seat beside her. "You love your mom, don't you?"__

 _ _Rin nodded, "But I mean ROMANTIC love, Temari-sensei." she cooed.__

 _" _That's a hard one," She looked at Rin again whose sullen expression at her words broke her heart. "I'll do my best." Temari said, taking a deep breath. "Love is when you find that special person that you cannot live without. You'll do anything for that person because they are that precious to you, and you'll do it at any cost. You do it, even to the point of sacrificing yourself because it doesn't feel like a burden you're taking on, but, rather, a minor step just to see the smile on that person's face. You do it time and time again, just to make that person happy, because, in the end, their happiness is your happiness."__

 _" _Sounds hard." Rin sighed, casting her eyes at the ground.__

 _" _Not at all," Temari chuckled, ruffling her protege's hair. "Because once you feel that kind of love, nothing else in the world matters."__

 _Rin's eyes slowly opened and her room came into focus. She recollected most previous events she could recall and felt empty. 'It had to be a dream,' Rin thought, holding back tears. 'It just had to be.'_

 _A sound from the kitchen caught Rin's attention. Her heart leapt as she sprung out of bed, running toward the sound. 'She's there, she's okay, everything will be okay.' "WINDA-CHAN!" Rin exclaimed, rounding the corner, only to find Kurenai in the kitchen with a skillet in her hand._

 _"Rin-chan..." Kurenai's voice was soft, comforting as she gazed in empathy toward Rin._

 _Rin fell backwards into a chair at the table. "No," was the only word that could escape her lips as all hope left her. The floodgates broke, tears quickly filling her eyes, streaming down her cheeks as she stared at Kurenai's helpless expression. A wail erupted from the small girl, wind beginning to stir violently in response to her emotions._

 _Kurenai rushed to her side, wrapping her arms around Rin, doing her best to offer comfort even though she, too, was crying. Rin buried her face in Kurenai's chest, trying to shrink from the world that now felt so much colder than she'd ever remembered._

 _"I'm so sorry, Rin-chan." Kurenai whispered to the girl, running her thin finger's through the girl's blood stained hair. "I'm so sorry..."_

 _Asuma had entered the house with a cigarette hanging from his lips after hearing Rin's cry and couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl crying in Kurenai's arms. Shikamaru followed not far behind, Kiba and Akamaru slipping in last. They all stared helplessly at the woman they had just been congratulating hours before._

 _They were all speechless. None of them knew what could possibly replace the giant chasm that now filled Rin's heart. "Are you okay?" Shikamaru asked, kneeling by Rin's side next to Kurenai, though he already knew the answer._

 _'Nothing is okay!' Rin screamed in her head, unable to from words through the choking sobs that rocked her body. 'Nothing will ever be okay again.'_


	15. Chapter 15 : Most Precious Treasure

_Chapter 15_

 _Rin solemnly said goodbye to her friends as all but Kurenai departed. All she knew was wanting to be alone, but Kurenai had convinced that at least one person should stay for the girl. She closed the door, turning back to Kurenai before moving towards the bathroom. "I need a bath," Rin said softly, closing the bathroom door behind her._

 _She stood in the middle of the bathroom, looking into the mirror. She didn't recognize the girl staring back at her. The girl who'd experienced a once in a lifetime love, the one in a red hoodie with short red hair. Her eyes fell on the gold ring around her finger and the tears she'd used all her willpower to stop before sprang forth again._

 _Then her eyes drifted to her hoodie near her stomach, and all bets were off. Even through the red thread of the hoodie, she could still see the dried blood of her fallen lover. She collapsed in a heap, choking on sobs that were threatening to strangle her._

 _Everything she'd known for the past three years had been a lie. All the joy and love she'd felt were quickly erased and replaced with pain and loss. All the smiles, all the kisses, all the nights together were floating back to the surface, fueling Rin's emotional breakdown._

 _She yanked the hoodie off, burying her face in the bloodstain as she tried depserately to come to terms with the nights events. All she wanted was Winda. She didn't care about anything else. She didn't care about anyone else, she just wanted her snow angel back in her arms._

 _Rin wailed into the hoodie, trying to focus on the Winda she'd known. Pale skin, bright blue eyes, a smile that made every day a blessing. She focused and focused, calling her chakra to her, searching for her link to the spirit realm. She held her breath as a female began to form in front of her, but was disappointed by the sight of Temari._

 _"Go away, Temari-chan!" Rin yelled at her ghostly friend. "I need to find Winda-chan."_

 _Temari looked down at the girl on her knees in front of her. Her heart broke to see Rin in such despair, so distraught. She knew the news she was about to deliver was going to kill the poor girl. "You won't be able to," Temari forfeited, her tone a melancholy one. "She's not there."_

 _Rin let out another cry. She knew deep down it was pointless endevor, but she'd had to try. Hearing Temari say it was impossible took away the last shred of hope Rin had been holding on to so dearly. She collapsed into the blonde's arms, giving up._

 _Temari looked down at the poor girl, covered in blood. Winda's blood, Kurenai's blood, her own. There was so much of it. She finished undressing Rin before easing her into the waiting tub, washing the red away as Rin clung close to her, crying._

 _"She was an assassin!" Rin screams were muffled by Temari's shoulder as the girl clung to her for dear life. "She was an assassin that was supposed to kill me!"_

 _"But she didn't, Rin-chan," Temari tried soothing her as the water around them began dying red. "She couldn't. She fell in love with you."_

 _"Why'd she have to fight Temari-chan?!" Rin screamed, pounding her fists into her sensei's chest. "Why couldn't she just keep acting like she wasn't a warrior? Why couldn't she just stay..."_

 _A smack across her face silenced Rin as she looked at Temari in shock. "I know it hurts," Temari's tone had become a cold one, "But don't you dare belittle her sacrifice! She stepped in to save you. She did so out of love. She probably knew she couldn't win that fight, but she fought it anyway, for you! Winda-chan did what she did so that you would be safe, she did what she did because it was the only way to protect you, so don't you dare ask why she did it. Don't you dare sit there and pretend she was being selfish."_

 _Rin looked down at the red water surrounding them, scooping some of it into her hand. She knew somewhere in her that Temari was right, but it didn't lessen the pain. It didn't stop the ache she now felt deep within her heart. She felt as though a large piece of her had been torn away and now she was an empty shell with no way to be whole._

 _"Rin-chan..." Kurenai slowly entered the bathroom, holding clean towels. "Perhaps you've been in here long enough..." Kurenai wore a sullen expression so different from the confident one Rin had become so accustomed to. She slowly made her way to the large tub, wrapping the towel around Rin, leading her back to the bedroom. "You need rest, Rin-chan." Kurenai soothed as Rin sat on the bed._

 _Rin watched as Kurenai fumbled around in her dresser for a minute, pulling out a night gown but Rin shook her head. Kurenai went back to the red dresser, digging through it as Rin moved toward the white one. When Kurenai turned around again to offer Rin new clothes, she had already dressed into the over-sized black sweatpants and white spaghetti string tank top she'd made Winda wear on their first anniversary._

 _She closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around herself as she breathed in the fading scent that still wafted around the room. Tears pouring down like rain, she gave herself over to Winda's scent that so many time before had comforted her, but now lay as a lingering reminder of what she'd lost._

 _She once again tried to no avail to summon Winda to her. All she wanted was to sink into her lovers arms one last time. Feel that security one last time. Feel belonged one last time._

 _"I can't find her..." Rin whimpered as Kurenai wrapped her arms around the sobbing kunoichi. "I can't feel her anywhere..."_

 _Kurenai decided now was the best time to deliver the bad news before Rin killed herself by expending all of her chakra on a fruitless endeavor. "You won't." Kurenai said, leading Rin back to the bed. "The self-sacrificing technique Winda-chan used was a soul devouring one. She no longer exist on this plane or the next," Kurenai searched Rin's face for some sort of understanding, but as Rin gazed up at her lost, Kurenai knew she'd have to say it. "Her soul is gone."_

 _Rin screamed in agony as what Kurenai said sunk into her. "She can't be! She just can't!" She didn't want to believe it, but she knew it was the truth._

 _" _Rin-chan, you really must take it easy," Winda chimed, watching her girlfriend run around the house, trying not to laugh. "We're plenty secure."__

 _ _Rin stopped hanging up the paper bomb trap she'd been setting over the front door. "You know it's only because I love you right?"__

 _ _Winda nodded, helping Rin down from the massive pile of books she'd created to be able to reach so high. "I understand, but you've got this house littered in paper bombs, smoke pellets, and weapons. It's our first night living together. Shouldn't we be spending it together?" Winda asked, wrapping her arms around Rin's neck. "Can't we just do all this tomorrow?"__

 _ _Rin sighed. Perhaps she had overdone it on the security measures, but it was all in an effort to keep Winda safe. "I just don't want anything to happen to you."__

 _ _Winda smiled, leading Rin over to the couch, sitting next to her before laying her head in the kunoichi's lap, looking up at her. "Nothing is going to happen to me, Rin-chan, I promise."__

 _" _I just don't wanna lose you." Rin relented, gazing down into Winda's blue eyes.__

 _" _You never will."__

 _'Liar,' Rin's head screamed as the memory began to fade. She curled up on the bed, clamping her eyes shut as Kurenai left the girl to sulk alone. It wasn't long before Rin's exhaustion from constant sobbing finally took over, dragging her into a deep sleep._

 _XxX_

 _"I can't believe this happened..." Kiba spoke softly, staring down at the drink in front of him. He turned his focus to Shikamaru and Asuma who were already four drinks in and feeling the effects._

 _"It was bound to," Shikamaru stated, monotone. "We all knew the assassins weren't just going to leave this place in peace after Hyuuga began talking to Sunagakure. It was only a matter of time." Shikamaru snatched his cup up, downing the poisonous alcohol it contained before calling the bartender for another._

 _"Unfortunately," Asuma lit a cigarette before continuing. "There are more troubling developments from tonight's disaster. Rin-chan's intel on Konohagakure being under Winda-chan's protection brings with it a dose of reality. The assassins aren't through yet with Hiashi-sama still in the hospital."_

 _"I've deployed ANBU soldiers to watch over Hiashi-sama for the time being," Shikamaru reassured his sensei, mentally kicking himself. He couldn't believe he'd never picked up on the notion that Winda was part of the assassins of shadows. She'd done a damn good job of staying off everybody's radar. Then another mental kick came. Even though she had been once, Winda wasn't a member of the assassins, as evident from her fighting them._

 _Kiba gulped down the remainder of his glass before rising from his stool. "Somebody has to pay," Kiba announced to his companions. "Rin-chan and Winda-chan had finally found peace, then this shit happens?! It isn't fair!"_

 _"Very few things in life are, Kiba-kun," Asuma relented, taking another glass of liqueor from the bartender. "You heard Rin-chan's story. She hunted these bastards for a year with no luck before giving up."_

 _"But she's not alone now," Kiba protested, anger evident in his voice. "She has us now, and I'm sure Suna..."_

 _"We're not getting Kankuro-kun involved in this mess." Shikamaru cut him off, turning to stare down the beastly ninja. "He has enough on his plate with the council."_

 _"Whiskey, double." came a new voice as Kurenai joined the small group at the bar. When all eyes focused on her she took a deep breath to deliver the report. "She's asleep. She's mentally and emotionally destroyed right now, but she's asleep."_

 _"Did you tell her?" Kiba asked sullenly as Kurenai knocked back the whiskey shed been handed. Seeing his sensei in such despair hurt. Never before could he remember a moment when Kurenai drank, but when she did, she did._

 _"Another one," Kurenai barked at the bartender, lifting her empty glass in the air, before returning to her conversation. "Yes, I told her. There was no other choice. She kept trying to find Winda-chan in the spirit realm. Had I not intervened she may have kept trying to the point she killed herself."_

 _Kiba nodded as the bartender replenished his and Kurenai's drinks. "What do we do with her body?" he asked, getting blank stares from the other three ninja. "We burned all the other..."_

 _"She wasn't an assassin," Kurenai quickly interrupted her pupil angrily. "Winda-chan was one of us, and she will be buried as one of us." She gulped down the whiskey before ordering a third double. "Your insinuation, Kiba-kun, is astonishingly appalling."_

 _"I've already made preparations for tomorrow," Asuma nodded, rubbing Kurenai's upper back in a soothing manner. "Tsunade-ue is giving us free reign over the burial ground and the funeral parlor. She also declared that Winda-chan's name will be carved into the shrine of remembrance."_

 _Kurenai nodded in understanding. "At least she'll be remembered for her actions."_

 _XxX_

 _The next day the small group formed in the funeral parlor, mourning Winda over her white casket. Rin waited for the others to leave her alone before wrapping her hand in Winda's cold one. Tears dripped onto the white blouse Rin had picked out for her that morning as she stared down at them empty shell that had once brought her so much joy._

 _"You meant the world to me," Rin choked on sobs as she knelt beside Winda's casket, wishing she could just die right here by her lover's side. "You will always mean the world to me, my most precious treasure." Rin leaned over the edge of the casket, placing a gentle kiss on Winda's lips before moving away, covering her face as she convulsed from the gut wrenching sobs of her cries._

 _She quickly made her way outside, hoping that fresh air would help the crushing sensation on her chest lessen. Once out the door she collapsed to her knees screaming. She brought her hands down to wrap around herself as she cried out Winda's name to the sky._

 _Kurenai soon joined her, wrapping her arms around the fragile girl, who turned burying her face into Kurenai's shoulder, clinging to the older woman for dear life. She heard Kurenai's soft sobs and choked on the feeling in the back of her throat as they held onto each other, neither one able to comfort the other._

 _Rin didn't know what she was going to do without Winda in her life. The illusion that shattered like a mirror, leaving scattered pieces everywhere. The pain she felt had been like nothing she'd ever endured up until this point, but seeing Winda again, in her casket, ripped Rin in half._

 _Wind began to whip up around the hugging pair, but Rin didn't care. She couldn't control it. She let the wind roar as it encircled them, howling as though, it to, were in pain. She clamped her eyes shut, sinking into Kurenai's embrace as the wind screeched it's primal cry._

 _Rin tried to will it to leave her, but it wasn't budging. She held Kurenai tighter, digging her nails into the older women's dress, just wishing to be left in peace and as Kurenai's hand fell on the back of her head, pulling Rin ever tighter, the wind dispersed, leaving the duo in solace._

 _Asuma, Shikamaru, Kiba, and a Kiba cloned Akamaru appeared shortly after, Winda's closed casket on their shoulders as they walked silently to the burial ground. Rin and Kurenai followed the men across a field before coming to rest at an empty plot._

 _As the men lowered the casket into the plot Rin was overcome with soul crushing grief, but she forced herself to watch, humming the song Winda had to her so many times before. The song they'd slow danced to on their first night together. The song that always made her feel safe._

 _Once the casket was secured in the ground, Rin approached it silently. She opened her hands to reveal a white rose she'd been holding on to to give Winda on their honeymoon. She knelt to the ground, letting the rose slip between her fingers. She watched quietly as it fell silently onto the pearly white casket in the earth below. "You'll always be my most precious treasure..."_

 _She rose to her feet before turning her back on the casket. She looked to the sky as tears streamed down her face. The light of the sun could never erase the darkness that now festered in Rin's heart. Anger and longing were all that was left inside her._

 _Kurenai laced her arm around Rin, leading her away from the scene as the men set to work, burying Winda beneath the cold, hard earth. "You can't blame yourself, Rin-chan." Kurenai whispered to her as they made their way back to town._

 _"I don't," Rin sobbed, wiping tears away._

 _"You can't blame her either." Kurenai spoke in quiet lament._

 _"I don't," Rin repeated, pushing away the trio that were trying to make a connection with her. The person she could blame had already been brutally tortured and murdered. There was no one she could blame._

 _She didn't regret any of the time she'd spent with Winda. Every moment was it's own precious heaven, but she did regret not telling Winda she loved her more. Not showing Winda she'd loved her more. Every bit of regret she did have was saved for kicking herself._

 _"She knew," Kurenai forced a smile as she read Rin's face like an open book. "She knew how much you loved her."_

 _Rin's focus fell off Kurenai as she cast her gaze back at the ground. Rin didn't doubt Kurenai's words, so much she doubted whether or not Winda knew just how much Rin had truly loved her. She didn't say it often, so how could Winda have known the full extent of love Rin had had for her._

 _XxX_

 _"Lord Kankuro-ue!" called a man as her burst into Kankuro's office. "Lord Kankuro-ue, news for Konohagakure!"_

 _"What is it?!" Kankuro demanded, sitting upright in his chair staring at the soldier that now stand before him._

 _"The assassins of the Shadows attacked the Hyuuga Compound!" The soldier declared, slamming a file onto Kankuro's desk._

 _Kankuro took it reading over quickly. "Besides the Assassins, were there any falaties?" Kankuro's voice was firm and commanding. He'd sent scouts to bring Hiashi to him only a few days prior, he couldn't help but he were responsible for this act of violence._

 _"Many sir, most of them were Hyuuga's men." The soldier reported, flipping the file to the laundry list of names._

 _Kankuro read over it in silent regret, before he saw a name he hadn't recognized from the information he'd gathered on Hiashi's staff. "Winda Sioaka," Kankuro asked, his eyes drifting up from the papers to the soldier before him. "What role did she play?"_

 _"She was Hyuuga's receptionist, sir," the soldier said, flipping to a picture of the white haired girl. "She also defended one of the townspeople from Redek Itscio."_

 _"An honorable death," Kankuro sighed before falling back in his chair. "I do not see Hiashi Hyuuga listed among those confirmed dead, where is he?"_

 _"Critical condition in Konohagakure's hospital, sir. Burns covering almost a third of his body."_

 _"He deserves worse." Kankuro growled as he pushed the file off his desk in rage._

 _"Official reports are that Shikamaru-sama saved him, but one of our scouts swears on his reputation he saw a young girl using Wind-style techniques save Hiashi."_

 _Kankuro's ears perked at the new information as his mind went into overdrive. "Bring me this scout." Kankuro commanded and the soldier was off._

 _Kankuro rose to his feet, moving toward the balcony. 'Can it be? Rin-chan?'_

 _XxX_

 _Rin opened the door to the hospital, entering the room before closing it behind her. She silently approached her target as the whir and hisses of the machines around the body sounded. She stalked up to the man unconscious on the hospital bed, anger flickering in her eyes._

 _She motioned her hand, dragging all the oxygen out of the man's lungs, causing him to spring to life gasping for air. "Good, you're awake." Rin spoke quietly, letting air slowly fill the man's lungs. She allowed just enough for a breath before ripping it away again. "You're going to tell me about the assassins of the shadows._

 _When Hiashi felt the air around him loosen, he sucked in a lot of it before speaking. "I don't know what your..." He began choking as Rin filled his lungs to the point of bursting before ripping it all away again._

 _"Don't give me that shit. I know you sent them after Temari-chan." Rin spoke coldly. "You are going to tell me what I want to know, or you're going to die, miserably gasping for air that will never fill your lungs. As you can see, I control over if you breathe or not, so I suggest you start talking, do you understand?"_

 _Hiashi nodded, his puples of his eyes starting to strain. Rin held off the air for another second before letting him breathe again as she loomed over him. "I hired the assassins to track down that sand bitch, but them killing Hinata-chan..." the wind was sucked from him again as Rin pushed his body against the matress._

 _"You don't speak their names." Rin hissed, this time holding off the oxygen until just before Hiashi passed out. "Go on."_

 _"That was not my design!" Hiashi cried quickly. "I never intended for them to murder my daughter or the Kazekage!"_

 _"How do I find them?!" Rin demanded, digging her claw-like nails into Hiashi's chest who howled in pain. "Tell me or you know what happens."_

 _"Their leader, Kaliyuga! She lives in the next town over!" Hiashi informed her. "That's all I know, I swear."_

 _An evil smile crossed Rin's lips as she released Hiashi. "Thank you," She said, sauntering to the end of the bed, causing Hiashi to breath easy, but soon had all the air ripped away from him as Rin glared at him from the end of the bed, her green eyes glowing bright. "I made a promise to kill every last mother fucker who had anything to do with Temari-chan, Gaara-kun, and Hinata-chan's deaths. Over the past few years I'd forgotten that promise, but you forcing the assassins to act has helped me remember it. This is for Gaara-kun, Temari-chan, Hinata-chan, and now Winda-chan." Rin forced as much air into Hiashi's lungs as she could fit._

 _Once inside the Hyuuga, the wind set to work. Razor sharp blades tore through his lungs, forcing itself outside of their enclosure and steadily hacking away at his internal organs. Hiashi gasped and pleaded for it to stop, but it fell on deaf ears as Rin exited the hospital room, a new fire in her soul._


	16. Chapter 16 : Waking the Demon

_"_ _Rin-chan, I still say this is a bad idea." Kiba groaned as they approached the small town that wasn't marked on any map. "We should just go back and tell Kurenai-sensei the information you've collected."_

 _Rin growled, focusing a glare on her unwanted companion. "You're the one who insisted on coming along and now you're turning into a bitch? You can go back if you want, I need to do this."_

 _Kiba growled, grabbing Rin's wrist forcing her to stop and face him. "Winda-chan just passed a week ago, you're being irrational. This is far beyond anything we can handle on our own, we need back up."_

 _Rin wrenched her wrist from Kiba's grasp before continuing down the overgrown path that lead to the town. "This is not your mission, Kiba-kun. You're free to leave at any moment you wish."_

 _"_ _We should get Kurenai-sensei..."_

 _"_ _Are you going to be the one to tell her how it is I obtained this intel?" Rin snapped at Kiba's protest. "What I did is punishable by death."_

 _"_ _He deserved it!" Kiba ground out, running to catch up to Rin, pulling in front of her before coming to a dead stop. "That man didn't deserve the air he breathed!"_

 _"_ _You know that, I know that, but I won't take my chance in court!" Rin proclaimed, pushing Kiba to the side. "If you wanna bitch out, go back to Konohagakure and leave me alone."_

 _Kiba looked behind them to Rin who was continuing her advance on the town. He let out a growl before running back to Rin. No matter how bad an idea he believed it to be, Rin was still his friend, and no matter what, he'd be loyal to her._

 _They entered the town looking around at the many people down on their luck. Garbage and overgrown shrubbery littered everywhere they looked as people in tattered clothes slowly made their way down the streets, passing crumbling buildings as they went. There was no doubt this was a very poor town, indeed._

 _The pair slowly made their way to the only building still standing tall with no sign of rubble or decay. A small pub located near the center of town. They opened the door entering it, immediately hit with the scent of urine and heavy booze. It proved to be almost for Kiba to handle as his hand quickly covered his nose, causing an annoyed groan from Rin._

 _She quickly withdrew the perfume from the pouch on her right leg, handing it to the Inuzka boy who graciously accepted it. As Kiba opened the bottle, he placed the scent almost right away. He looked down at the bottle in solace. This had been Winda's perfume. He quickly lathered his fingertips with it, spreading the vanilla scent just underneath his nose, thankful the scent was strong, but didn't have many chemicals in it to mess with his senses. Once he was sure he'd be okay, his handed the bottle back to Rin who slipped it back into her pouch._

 _Once Kiba had been sufficiently handled Rin made her way to a stool at the bar, taking a seat. She motioned for the bartender and he quickly scurried over to her. "What will it be?" The bartender asked kindly, offering a smile that shown he was missing teeth on both the top and bottom of his mouth. He had a long graying beard that sprouted from all over his face, falling about twelve centimeters from his jawline and what remained of his receding hairline was slicked back. He seemed friendly, as Rin had hoped._

 _"_ _Information," Rin stated boldly before contemplating it. "And Vodka."_

 _"_ _Would you like a mixed drink?" The bartender asked, moving to the shelf that housed the many different flavors and brands of vodka. "Straight vodka may prove to be too bitter for a cute girl such as yourself."_

 _"_ _No," Rin said. "Just vodka." She watched the man pour a shot before moving to return to her. "Bring the bottle."_

 _The bartender did a double take at her request, but grabbed the bottle anyway, setting it down in front of her. He was again astounded when she downed her first shot without a second thought, pouring another one immediately after. Rin was five shots in before she finally decided to take a break. "You asked for information?" the man asked, second guessing his decision to give Rin the bottle of vodka._

 _"_ _I'm looking for a women," Rin stated, her words coming out ever so slightly slurred. "A kunoichi. All I have is a name. Kaliyuga. Do you know of her?"_

 _"_ _Yes, yes, of course." The bartender nodded as Rin poured another shot. "Kaliyuga-sama frequents this establishment quite often."_

 _"_ _So if I wanted to find her, all I'd have to do is wait here?" she asked, gulping down another shot of the fiery liquid, praising it for it's numbing effects._

 _"_ _Well, yes. Would you like some food to go with that alcohol?" The bartender asked, spotting Kiba who'd taken up a spot directly behind Rin. "Or perhaps treats for the pup?" he asked, motioning toward Akamaru who was peaking out from Kiba's hoodie._

 _"_ _No, thank you." Rin answered, pushing the vodka bottle back to the bartender. "Just alert me when Kaliyuga-sama arrives. We'll be in the corner booth." Rin slapped a small pile of yen on the counter, much to the bartender's delight and motioned for Kiba to follow her._

 _They slowly made their way to the corner on the upper right, taking seats opposite of each other. They both planted their backs against the wall and were able to see the entire bar from their tactical recon point. Akamaru slipped out of Kiba's hoodie, laying on the bench Kiba was now sitting, curling up and closing his eyes as the two ninja kept an eye on everything._

 _After an hour of uncomfortable silence Kiba decided he'd had enough and cast a sideways glance at Rin whom had her eyes focused intently ahead of her. "You haven't slept all week, have you?" He asked, concerned, noting the bags under her eyes._

 _Rin shook her head. "Every time I close my eyes I'm taken back to that night. It's a memory I don't wish to relive." Rin took a deep breath, her hands shaking. Her whole body was screaming at her for rest, but she wouldn't give in._

 _"_ _Rin-chan, killing yourself isn't going to bring Winda-chan back." Kiba scolded quietly. "Throwing yourself in danger won't exactly help matters either."_

 _Rin turned to meet Kiba's worried expression head on, staring down her best friend. "What will you have me do? It's not like I can go home and pretend nothing has changed." Rin hands came up to cover her face as her elbows found the table to support the weight of her hanging head. "Everything has changed. I thought you of all people would get that."_

 _"_ _I do," Kiba said softly, taking one of Rin's hands into his own. "I get that you're hurting, but doing this to yourself isn't going to make the pain go away." His expression was soft and understanding and it was making Rin sick._

 _She'd grown so tired of everyone trying to coddle her for the past week. Nobody could possibly understand what it was she was going through, but they all scolded her like a child misbehaving. She knew nothing would erase the emptiness in her heart, but between killing Hiashi and Kankuro arriving in Konohagakure, there was nothing left to go back to. She was destined to be on the run now. Sooner or later Shikamaru was sure to learn the truth behind Hiashi's death, and Rin couldn't risk being thrown in jail or executed. She had a mission, and she was going to see it through._

 _"_ _Stop babying me, Kiba-kun. I'm not looking for your fucking pity." Rin growled, her green eyes beginning to glow. "I've already told you, if you want to go back, then do so. I'm GOING to fulfill my mission."_

 _Kiba felt a slight sting on the hand over Rin's and yanked it away instinctively, noting the small cut that had formed. It wasn't an attack, but it was definitely a warning that Rin was losing it. He slumped back in his seat, returning his gaze to the bar's floor, deep in thought._

 _This wasn't the same wide-eyed enraptured girl he'd met a couple years ago at Konohagakure's gates. This wasn't the same girl he'd bandaged and helped back to her feet. It wasn't even the same girl he'd known just a week ago that would rather kill herself than harm another living being. The Rin that sat across from him now was nothing like the Rin he'd known. She was somewhere in there, deep down, but digging her out through that crippling pain wasn't going to be easy, if it were even possible._

 _He cast another sideways glance at Rin, wondering where his friend had gone, and if she'd ever return. He wanted more than anything to be there for her, but she had made it abundantly clear that she wouldn't allow it. The Rin that sat before him was an empty shell of the person she'd once been. He looked down at the cut on his hand, making a decision that he was sure he'd live to regret._

 _"_ _You're not going to do this alone." He spoke in a determined tone, catching Rin's attention once again. "I don't care if you say you can, you're not. I vow this to you, Rin-chan." Kiba turned his head to meet Rin's gaze. "Through thick or thin, through heaven or hell, through strife or pain, I will aid you on this mission."_

 _"_ _You don't hav-"_

 _"_ _Shaddup." Kiba growled slightly. "This is my decision and I'm making it. You have me and Akamaru on your side, no matter what comes our way."_

 _"_ _Konohagakure will write you off as a rogue, you know?" Rin asked, doubting Kiba actually knew what he was signing up for. "You won't be able to go back once they do."_

 _Kiba nodded in understanding, a fire in his eye Rin had never seen before now. "I know, but I couldn't care less. We are going to avenge our fallen friends, and that is a quest only the noblest of shinobi embark upon."_

 _Rin shook her head at him. "This isn't vengeance." Rin said in a tone that actually unnerved Kiba. "It's punishment." she growled, throwing a kunai on the wooden table in front of them so it protruded from it._

 _The fire in Kiba's eyes were no match to the pure animosity that Rin's now held. She glared at her friend in such a way that caused actual fear to creep into his mind. Never before had he seen any warrior with such fury. Such anguish._

 _"_ _Punishment," Kiba nodded to her, hoping to lessen that glare that was aimed at him. When Rin's eyes fell back on the bar room floor Kiba breathed a sigh of relief._

 _Two hours passed again in silence as they kept their focus on the center of the bar. Every once in a while a guest would enter and Rin's breath would hitch until the bartender shook his head. It seemed like their target was going to be a no show for the day as the yellow sunlight faded from the bar's windows, instead replaced by the moon's pale blue glow._

 _Once the bartender began stacking chairs upon tables, Rin knew they weren't going to get the answers tonight. She rose from the booth, stretching and cracking her back as Kiba did the same. "What now?" Kiba asked her quietly. Both were drained from the constant recon, but neither would swallow their pride to admit it._

 _"_ _Excuse me, barkeep," Rin called in a voice that was quieter than she had originally intended it to be, but the bartender seemed to hear her enough to focus on her. "Is there a place we could rest for the night?"_

 _The bartender scurried back to the counter before returning to them with bedding. "There is a room around back I usually reserve for traveling shinobi that have had a bit too much to drink," The bartender explained in his usual chipper tone. "There seems to be none of them here tonight, so you both can have it, on the house!"_

 _Rin thanked the man before her and Kiba exited the front of the bar. They slowly made their way around the building, finding a small door directly opposite the one that opened up to the bar. The opened it and found a tiny room with one bed and a door that lead to what appeared to be the bathroom._

 _Kiba reached his hand around the doorway, his fingertips guiding their way to the light switch, and he flicked it on, hoping to find a larger room than what amounted to a broom closet. All hopes were tampered out as the light came to life with a low buzzing. If anything the room actually looked smaller than it had appeared in the dark._

 _Rin didn't waste a second, waltzing into the room, making up the bed. Once she was finished she noted Kiba's hesitation on entering. "What's wrong?" she asked as she stuffed the two pillows into their tan cases._

 _"_ _It's kinda small, isn't it?" Kiba asked, slowly entering the room. He looked around and barely had enough room to move, though Akamaru didn't seem to mind as he jumped upon the bed with a small bark._

 _"_ _Get used to it," Rin warned tossing the pillows against the headboard before sinking into the mattress that was surprising comfortable. "Most of our nights are gonna be spent in a tent on the hard ground, take this as a welcome reprieve."_

 _"_ _I suppose you're right," Kiba relented before noticing a logistical problem. "Wait, are we gonna sleep in the same bed?"_

 _"_ _Is there a problem with that?" Rin asked, looking up curiously at him. "If so, I can gladly sleep in the bed with Akamaru, and you can have the floor."_

 _Kiba grumbled under his breath, laying next to Rin. "Just don't get any funny ideas," Kiba mumbled and was met with a rather hard slap across the back of his head. "Ow, that hurt you bitch!" he growled at Rin jumping upright to cast a glare at her._

 _"_ _Don't make stupid comments like that and I won't have to hit you," Rin warned rolling onto her right side, facing away from Kiba. She tried like hell to keep her eyes from closing as she felt the bed shift while Kiba laid back down, but the battle soon proved too much for her and she was dragged into a very uneasy rest._

 _ _Rin lay on the ground, unable to drag her eyes from the scene before her. Winda was holding off Redek with her sword, growling at him as he brandished a kunai knife. Rin screamed at her body to move but the dizziness caused by her collision with the ground caused her to fall again.__

 _ _'Winda-chan, hang on!' Rin's head screamed as she forced herself to her knees. She heard Winda cry out something and she saw a frosty blast of snow spiraling toward her. She felt the chill of the shards of ice that barely made contact with her, and she realized she wasn't the target of the jutsu. She spun around seeing an earth clone crumble behind her.__

 _ _She willed herself to move, but her body was rebelling against her. She used all her strength to climb to her shaky feet. She looked up to see Winda launch herself in the air, dodging and Earth Prison Jutsu before Redek's kunai caught her through the stomach and Rin fell to her knees again, denial pumping it's way into her head. She watched in horror as Redek spun Winda around, still airborne, and throw her to the ground.__

 _ _She used all her might to crawl over to Winda's corpse, tears streaming down her face. Her fingers ran over the pale corpse. Rin froze when she felt a warm wetness flood her hand as her fingers trailed over Winda's stomach.__

 _"_ _ _Winda-chan?" Rin's voice was shaky as she tried to tell herself she was in some nightmare or genjutsu. Her entire world shattering in an instant as she threw herself over the corpse. "Winda-chan!" Rin cried out as the cold grip of reality worked it's way into her brain. Wind began howling in a frenzy around the pair as Rin gave in to her agony, taking one last look at her lover. Soon the whipping air had formed a galeforce that screamed into Rin's ears. Her emerald eyes began to glow as her gaze focused on the jet black figure of Redek.__

 _"_ _RIN-CHAN," Kiba's voice was desperate as Akamaru howled. "YOU NEED TO WAKE UP."_

 _"_ _WINDA-CHAN!" Rin's eyes bolted open as she sprang from bed. She felt her clothes heavy from the sweat pouring from her body in buckets. She looked around as she felt Kiba shaking her, trying to wake her. A galeforce was whirring around the bed they all inhabited. As Kiba's face came into view, Rin noticed blood dripping from gashes that her wind was causing._

 _"_ _Rin-chan, please!" Kiba pleaded as an invisible blade sliced across his face, digging in, sending his blood flying. The pain was unbearable. More invisible blades slashed at his back and hands as he pulled Rin close to him, holding tight to her._

 _Rin clamped her eyes shut, attempting to drag all of her chakra back into herself. She held her breath as the wind slowly, but surely, began to die down. When she opened her eyes again she found Kiba's eyes staring at her in bewilderment, blood coating his face and every bit of exposed skin he'd had._

 _"_ _Kiba-kun..." Rin spoke softly, a whimper in her voice. She was about to ramble into a string of apologies when Kiba pulled her into another embrace, holding her close. She buried her face in the Inuzuka's shoulder as tears erupted from her eyes._

 _"_ _It's okay, Rin-chan, I'm here." Kiba said, running his fingers through the girls hair. He eased them back into a laying position. "It's okay." He felt Rin's head move from his shoulder to his chest. He heard the sobs and pleads for forgiveness that fell from her lips, but Kiba didn't care. He knew it wasn't her fault. The cry she'd made when she'd finally awoken told Kiba all he need to know._

 _They lay there in silence, save Rin's sobbing, until she finally cried herself to sleep. Kiba slipped out of bed, making his way to the bathroom with Akamaru following him. He turned on the faucet for the bathroom sink, washing the now drying blood from his face and arms. Once finished he knelt down to inspect Akamaru, who surprisingly had suffered no wounds from Rin's out pour of emotions._

 _He stepped from the bathroom, looking out the small prism of windows etched into the door and groaned as the first rays of dawn began flooding through the clear glass. He laid back down, careful not to wake Rin and closed his eyes sighing in discontent, finally coming to terms with exactly what he'd gotten himself into. "Aw, hell," He groaned before falling back into his light sleep._

 _Rin waited until she heard Kiba's breathing even out and slow to a steady rhythm before she opened her eyes. As she slowly slipped out of bed she saw Akamaru's head perk up from the gap between where her legs had been and Kiba's now sprawled out body. She quickly put her finger to her lips, commanding the dog to remain silent before she moved toward the door, quietly slithering through it and out into the damp dawn air._

 _She quickly ran into the forest, jumping over fallen tree trunks, ducking under branches. Once she'd found a large enough clearing, she came to a stop. She took a moment to catch her breath before letting mind drift to the spirit realm. She focused on the only person who would actually know what she's going through, pulling Gaara into her own world._

 _"_ _Gaara-kun..." she forced a smile as the crimson haired former Kazekage materialized from thin air. "Gaara-kun, I need help..."_

 _"_ _There is nothing I can do for you, Rin-chan."_

 _"_ _You understand what I'm doing, don't you?" She asked hopeful. Her emerald eyes found Gaara's seafoam green, begging for some semblance of comprehension. "You of all people have to understand!"_

 _"_ _I do," Gaara stated in monotone. "I understand fully. You lost the person most dear to you. Anybody in your position would be furious."_

 _"_ _Gaara-kun... there is something else..." Rin stammered as she stared at the ground, hanging her head in defeat. "I'm losing control over the Galeforce. It's reacting to my emotions, hurting people I care about, and most of the time I don't even realize it. It's starting to frighten me."_

 _Gaara nodded finally getting the full picture on just why Rin had called him over one of the girls. "You think I can help you regain control over it?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her._

 _"_ _You initially didn't have control over your sand, but you were able to get it to listen to you eventually." Rin countered, hoping Gaara would teach her his method. "The Galeforce is responding to my emotions, which your sand did at one point. How did you get it to stop?"_

 _"_ _I learned to control my emotions," Gaara stated, deadpan. "If something is reacting to your emotions, the quickest way to get it in control is to calm yourself down." He looked stared at Rin who looked longingly back in his eyes. "Meditation may be a useful tool."_

 _"_ _UGH!" Rin screamed, kicking a rock as a large gust of wind tore through the trees, ripping a branch clean off and tossing it 100 meters before it finally hit the ground. Her gaze shifted to Gaara who was casting her a very disapproving look. "It's easier said than done!" She screamed at the crimson haired phantom._

 _"_ _I know, but if you continue to let your emotions control you, you'll never be able to regain control over the Galeforce," Gaara's monotone voice was starting to grate on Rin's ears. "You have two unique gifts. Your technique of manipulating air is a very powerful one, and your ability to communicate with the dead is a legend very few hear of anymore. Stop acting like a helpless child, because we both know you're not. You've harnessed this Galeforce for so long, and it just now started rebelling against your emotions, I'd say that you've given up."_

 _"_ _Can you really blame me?" Rin asked the older shinobi, a lost look in her eye. "With all that has happened..."_

 _"_ _You're still standing," Gaara interjected, shooting another disapproving look in Rin's direction. "You've gone through a hell greater than most people will ever see and you're still standing. That proves you're strong."_

 _"_ _I know," Rin whispered turning her back on Gaara as the sun rose to the middle of the sky. "I have to get back. I'll do my best to keep my emotions in check, but with the battle on the horizon, I'm not making any promises."_

 _Rin walked back to the pub in silent lucidity. All her anger welling up in her as she thought about the day of recon ahead, holding her breath for a target that still may not show. Before the enraged wind around her could actually cause any real damage, Rin tampered her emotions down, cursing herself for developing such a technique._

 _She was surprised to find Kiba already in the corner booth when she entered the pub. She was sure he'd still be asleep. When he spotted her, he flashed a cocky half smile as if to let her know she'd never get a step ahead of him._

 _Rin didn't know whether to be upset or impressed by the shinobi's resolve. After the events of the prior night she was sure Kiba would have run from her side, but instead here he was, upholding his promise to her. A slight ping of guilt welled up in her throat as she took in the many wounds he'd endured from her loss of control, but she pushed it out of her mind._

 _She sauntered over to the booth, taking residence opposite of Kiba, her back against the wall. "You took one hell of a beating last night, huh?"_

 _"_ _Yeah," Kiba smirked focusing on Rin. "Wonder how the hell that happened."_

 _Rin couldn't help the smile that curled upon her lips. She wasn't proud by any means for what she'd done, but the fact Kiba was playing it off was comforting, even if it was a bit troubling. Rin was about to close her eyes when she caught glimpse of the bartender nodding to the pub's latest guest._

 _Rin shot out of her seat, focusing her line of sight to the woman removing an ANBU Black Ops mask. Her jet black hair was grown long, spanning all the way down her back. She wore a silver kimono that was wrapped tightly by blood red sash wrapped around her waist. Rin could make out the slight bulge of hidden pouches clasped around her thighs as the kimono brushed against them. Kunai were strapped around the woman's ankles, clearly used as a last resort._

 _Rin's eyes traveled upwards, taking note of a scroll attatched to the woman's sash on her right hip, before travelling down her arms to her finger-less gloved hands. Short, centimeter long spikes protruded from each knuckle on the glove as a plate of steel fell just behind it that had many deep gashes in. A protection of sorts._

 _There was no doubt in Rin's mind that this was her target. The armory she wore was a dead give away. She made her way to the woman, who Rin scowled to find was two feet taller than her, reaching up, tapping her on the shoulder. When the woman spun around, Rin greeted her with a forced smile. "Kaliyuga-sama, might I have a word?"_

 _The woman examined Rin for a moment before agreeing. She followed Rin out of the bar, becoming more skeptical with each passing minute they walked in silence. "You're a friend of Winda-chan's arent you?" Kaliyuga finally decided to break the silence, causing Rin to wince at the name. "I can smell her on you. The stench of that vanilla perfume is evident even with her not being here."_

 _"_ _Man-beast technique! Fang Passing Fang!" Kiba launched a surprise attack from the cover of the forest as Rin dragged open her scroll, forming the hand sign of the Ram, wrapping her fingers around the large scythe that popped from it, swinging it toward her target._

 _Kaliyuga managed to dodge both attacks with ease opening her own scroll, summoning a pair of sickles, using one of them to block a second swing of Rin's scythe, throwing the second at Kiba who narrowly avoided it. "Should've known as soon as I caught a whiff of that bitch's perfume."_

 _Rin screamed, launching herself into the air, keeping one hand on her scythe's handle, while using the other to form a ball of solidified air, hurling it directly at Kaliyuga. The older kunoichi formed the seal of the tiger with her free hand before curling her pointer finger and thumb in a circle around her lips, blowing through them, fire erupting from the opening._

 _"_ _Shit!" Rin yelled, curling herself onto the handle of the scythe before she thew all her weight backwards, launching off Kaliyuga's sickle, landing a few meters away, twirling her scythe in her hand. Her eyes quickly scanned the area finding Kiba and Akamaru's Kiba clone circling quickly around the opponent when a glint of steel caught Rin's eye. "Kiba-kun, get out of there!" She called out, but was too late as the sickle Kaliyuga had thrown earlier circled back, slicing Kiba across the face, knocking him off his circular path._

 _"_ _Cresent Moon Harvest!" Kaliyuga screamed, her sickles beginning to glow. She whipped them out in opposite directions, one aimed for Rin, the other aimed at Kiba on the ground. Rin jumped into the air, enraged to find the sickle's trajectory had changed and was following her. She shot a quick glance to Kiba and saw the Akamaru clone had caught the sickle aimed for his owner._

 _Relieved she focused on her own, pulling the blade of her scythe behind her. "KAMAITATCHI! SLICING WIND BLADES!" She cried, swinging her scythe around, launching the invisible blades directly at the sickle, just before it managed to catch up to her._

 _"_ _Argh!" Kaliyuga had pulled a kunai out of one of her pouches and had managed to nail Kiba in the arm with it as he and Akamaru attempted another combo attack. Rin was about to bolt to her friend's aid when a second Kaliyuga appeared above her, kicking her to the ground._

 _Rin climbed to her feet, dodging another kick at her, cart wheeling backward, looking for Kiba who had his hands full with his battle. She brought her focus back to her opponent who was charging at her now. Rin threw her scythe with all her might at her attacker, who jumped over it, causing Rin to smile. Rin disappeared from the ground, reappearing from the scythe she'd launched, screaming as she stabbed it into the ground, barely causing a nick to appear on Kaliyuga's shoulder who was clearly surprised by the attack making any contact._

 _A sickle circled back around to Rin's combatant's hand and it began to glow a bright blue again. "Half Moon Harvest!" Kalityuga cried out, swinging her sickle, causing a beam of light to erupt from the end of the blade, aimed directly at Rin._

 _Rin wasted no time, planting her feet on the hilt of her scythe, launching herself back into the air. Whilst in the air, Rin whipped around, producing a second scroll from her sash. She opened it quickly, summoning a red-trimmed fan. She grabbed the handle quickly, opening it. Rin drew her arm back, taking aim at Kaliyuga. "GALEFORCE TORNADO!" She screamed, forcing her entire body into the swing._

 _The gust erupting from the fan sent Rin flying backwards as the spiral hit Kaliyuga, dead on. Rin mentally cheered before she noticed Kaliyuga throwing random weapons into the spiraling gust, the epicenter aimed directly at Rin. She growled using her arms and legs to protect her from the weapons that shredded her skin like paper, sending her blood flying. Soon another Kaliyuga appeared above Rin, bringing both hands down on the girl like a hammer, knocking her to the ground._

 _Rin spat blood from her mouth, looking for Kiba, finding him and Akamaru unconscious not far away, clearly defeated. Rin growled at the pair of Kaliyuga that now stared her down with a taunting smile, both wielding a sickle in opposite hands. "GOD ART: FULL MOON HARVEST!" they both cried, both sickles glowing bring red as the sky was blocked out by a giant blood red moon._

 _Rin couldn't believe her eyes as the 'moon' fired a beam of energy. She ducked behind her fan, summoning the strongest Galeforce shield she could before the beam could make contact. She held it as long as she could, but the attack ultimately proved too much for her to withstand and she was quickly flung across the ground, sliding to a halt 10 meters from her fan which was being blown to pieces by the force of the blast._

 _Rin released the hold she'd been keeping until just then, rage filling her. She summoned all the wind around her as it whipped into a frenzy. Kaliyuga was clearly in shock her God Art hadn't obliterated Rin as she shimmered back into one being, her chakra being all but depleted. Kaliyuga may have been out of energy, but Rin was just getting started._

 _"_ _Galeforce Armor," Rin called out to the wind, placing her arm over her chest. "MK II, FORM!" The armor began swirling around her, hardening into it's beautiful form before spikes began protruding over every centimeter of the armor's surface. "Galeforce Armor, COMBAT ACCELERATION!" Rin was thrust to her opponent at a breakneck pace._

 _Her fist connected with Kaliyuga's jaw in an uppercut, launching her into the air. Rin then pushed herself into the air, appearing above Kaliyuga, delivering a roundhouse kick that sent her spiraling to the ground, skipping along the surface like a rock would over water. Rin then appeared before Kaliyuga's rolling carcass, grabbing her by the leg, quickly slamming her into a nearby tree. While Kaliyuga was still airborne from the impact with the trunk Rin brought her fists down on her victims stomach, forcing her half a meter into the earth below._

 _Blood spurting from Kaliyuga's mouth on impact with the ground told Rin her opponent was sufficiently defeated. She let the Galeforce armor fade off her body before picking Kaliyuga off the ground by her shredded Kimono's collar._

 _Rin had managed to do a number on the assassin. She could see blood covering most of Kaliyuga's body from where the spikes had pierced flesh. Her left eye had signs of swelling and blood flowed freely from a clearly broken nose. Rin took an evil satisfaction in the bloodied rag-doll at her mercy._

 _She slammed Kaliyuga against a tree, causing her head to snap back before binding her in a hyperbolic sphere, pinning her to the tree. "Three years ago, your crew attacked a blonde kunoichi in Sunagakure under the employment of Hyuuga Hiashi. Is this correct?" Kaliyuga, barely able to breath, nodded in response. "I've killed a lot of your men, I wish to know how many of you there are left."_

 _Rin let Kaliyuga have enough air to answer. "Go to hell," Kaliyuga spat on Rin's face. Rin wiped it away in disgust, barreling a barrage of wind directly into Kaliyuga's stomach, causing the already bloodied woman to gurgle on blood being forced through her throat, and out of her mouth._

 _"_ _You are going to die, no matter what," Rin warned her. "The amount of pain you endure is entirely up to you."_

 _This caused Kaliyuga to laugh. "That line hadn't worked before, what makes you think it will now?!" A psychotic laughter erupted from Kaliyuga as Rin realized she'd been the one to kill the last assassin she'd interrogated._

 _"_ _This time I have you, and the chamber you're in prevents all outside intrusion." Rin smiled evilly, wrapping wind around Kaliyuga's right arm, tearing it clear from it's socket. "And as you can see, my interrogation method have become far less gentle." Rin emphasized her point by completely twisting Kaliyuga's right ankle in a 720 degree angle, splinters of bone forcing themselves from the binds of Kaliyuga's skin. Rin saw the all to familiar glazing of Kaliyuga's eyes and forced wind into her lungs, immediately waking her up._

 _"_ _I'm not done with you," Rin's voice sounded demonic as she removed the air from Kaliyuga's lungs. "You fucked up when you stole what was mine. Tell me what you know or this gets much more painful." Rin closed her hand and the wind responded, crushing Kaliyuga against the tree._

 _"_ _ALL RIGHT!" Kaliyuga screamed in agony. She knew Rin's threats weren't empty ones and she couldn't bare anymore of this sadistic torture. Rin eased upon Kaliyuga enough to allow her to speak. "My kimono pocket, there's a key to the motel back in town. It'll have everything you have sought, now please just let me die!"_

 _Rin reached into the pocket, pulling the key out smiling evilly up at her victim. "No," Kaliyuga's oxygen was quickly retracted, before her lungs were expanded to the point of exploding. Rin smiled as the woman's face twisted into a torturous scream that no one would ever hear. Tiny razor sharp blades slowly cut across her stomach over and over as she convulsed from the wind being forced into and out of her._

 _Rin watched evilly as the Galeforce caused all of her emotional pain to become physical on Kaliyuga. She watched in pure enjoyment, relishing each tortured expression that formed on Kaliyuga's face. She watched as the blades dug into Kaliyuga muscles turning them inside out, a laugh of sheer pleasure falling from her lips._

 _'RIN-CHAN, STOP THIS!' Winda's voice screamed in her head._

 _'No,' Rin declared, pulling Kaliyuga's flesh back, revealing exposed muscle. 'They took you from me, they'll all die. They'll all suffer!'_

 _'Rin-chan this isn't you!' Winda's soft voice cried in her skull_

 _'It is now,' Rin continued using her wind to dissect Kaliyuga, making sure she never lost consciousness. 'It is now.'_


	17. Chapter 17 : Red Like Roses

_Kiba climbed the long staircase of the hotel him and Rin had chosen to spend the night in and grimaced in disgust at the sight he beheld. Two young women were tripping over themselves in a drunken stupor as the exited the room he and Rin shared, their clothes hapazardly stretched across their bodies and their hair in a mess._

 _He waited until they moved away from the door before entering, though his gaze was quickly shot to the ceiling as Rin's naked form slowly pulled up her skirt. He moved across the room to the corner where they had laid their equipment in an attempt to act casual but Rin had caught sight of his uneasiness. "You've seen me naked before." She ground out, throwing her hoodie over her head._

 _"_ _I don't really need a reminder of what just transpired here," Kiba said quietly, tossing his own hoodie against the wall before laying in the bed that didn't have it's sheets thrown everywhere. "The stench is evident."_

 _"_ _You saying I smell?" Rin asked as she moved to the mirror, fixing her hair._

 _"_ _Lust's scent is never a pleasant one." Kiba patronized. "Whats that make? Five or six? I don't really know how you count, sure there were two of them, but it was only one occurrence."_

 _"_ _Oh, trust me, it was more than one." Rin winked at him and he grimaced again. "The hell was that about?"_

 _Kiba picked himself off the bed, bringing himself to look at the ghost of his best friend. "What the fuck is the matter with you?" Kiba asked as Rin turned to face him, an angry look in her eyes._

 _"_ _What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Rin demanded. She knew it was an insult, but the track they were headed down was still a mystery._

 _"_ _This!" Kiba threw his arms out, clearly referencing the hotel room. "All of it, the drinking, the hookups, what the hell is the matter with you?"_

 _"_ _I'm not allowed to have fun? Not allowed to take a break?"_

 _"_ _A break?! We've been in this town for less than three days and you've slept with half the women here!" Kiba bellowed, rising off the bed. He blocked Rin from turning and walking away. "You aren't this cold, Rin-chan, I know you aren't."_

 _"_ _You're right!" Rin screamed in his face, baring her teeth at him. "I was in love, and that love was stolen from me! I'm on a mission tracking down the people responsible for her murder! Don't fucking patronize me like a little kid, Kiba-kun. You aren't my father. This is my life and I'll do whatever I damn well please with it!"_

 _"_ _What would Winda-chan think if she were here right now to see the whore you've become?!" Kiba hadn't meant the words wholeheartedly, but it was a feeling he'd been having after the third girl in two days._

 _Anger welled up in Rin. Hatred for the man before her. She felt her right hand curl into a fist, her nails digging into her palms. Before Kiba could even see it coming, Rin's fist swung across Kiba's face with a brutal crack, sending the man through the mirror on the dresser. She breathed heavily as she glowered down at him and he stared back up at her, clearly in shock._

 _Rin didn't waste time on words. She used her wind to blow open the small window nearby, climbing through it and falling to the ground two stories below. The air around her started it's signature howl in response to her rage, and Rin focused it on slashing way branches and shrubbery as she made her way into the black forest that the moon's light couldn't reach._

 _'I'd think you were using meaningless hookups to try to get back what we had,' Winda's voice was still inside her head. Still trying to coax Rin, but she barely paid it any mind. 'You can't run from me forever.'_

 _'Like hell I can't,' Rin snapped back at the voice. 'Want to try me?'_

 _The forest fell away as Rin's anger tamper down. Soon she was walking in a void of nothing but black empty space. She stopped, noticing a familiarity to the new oblivion she had found herself. She was about to turn around and scream at Temari. Or Hinata. Or Gaara. Whichever one of those assholes had dragged her into this chasm, but when she actually did turn around, her heart caught in her throat._

 _"_ _I told you, you can't run from me," Winda smiled at her. She was dressed in the white blouse she'd worn the night Rin had met her, a frilly black skirt falling underneath. Her long legs stretched out into uncovered, bare feet, her hair pulled up in a ponytail. She was exactly as Rin remembered her._

 _"_ _I was ignoring you for a reason." Rin ground out, turning her back on the woman she loved and missed so dearly. "Go away, I know you're not real."_

 _"_ _Ignoring me only ever made me try harder to get your attention." Winda reminded her. "So you already know that method is flawed in it's premise."_

 _Rin spun back around, glaring into the blue eyes that had once enraptured her. "What we had was never real!" Rin screamed, throwing a shuriken at the image she could see so clearly, but the shuriken made no contact, flying through Winda's face. "You were an assassin! I was your target!"_

 _"_ _Yet I didn't kill you, and I had many opportunities." Winda smirked, sitting down, cross-legged. "All those nights we spent together, all the times you awoke to find me watching you sleep. I had so many chances to steal your life, but I chose your heart instead."_

 _"_ _You fucking lied to me!" Rin tried to summon her wind into an attack, but failed at doing so. She looked down at her open palm in confusion._

 _"_ _What's the matter?" Winda chimed, a teasing smile across her face. "Your wind would never harm me because it responds to your emotions."_

 _Rin screamed in anger. She knew the spirit taking Winda's form was right, but she still hated it. "You lied to me..." Rin felt her anger slowly being replaced by despair. "You said you'd never leave me, but you did!" The emotions torturing Rin now had been a long time in development, but she never let them get the better of her, but up until now Winda had only been a voice in her head. Seeing the pale skinned angel now was bringing up all the feelings she'd tried so hard to pretend weren't there._

 _"_ _I didn't mean to," Winda spoke softly, praying that her words were to be of some comfort. "You know that none of this was my plan. I thought we'd actually be able to live in peace."_

 _Rin's tortured expression and the tears that now fell from her face focused on Winda's body as a dot of red slowly appeared. Rin watched in horror as the dot turned into a gaping hole, spreading out from Winda's body, flowing all over the ground, puddling around her feet. A scream got lost in her throat as fear paralyzed her. She watched in horror as blood ran like a river from Winda's stomach. She heard Winda's cries not to look, but she couldn't force herself to turn away. She clamped her eyes shut as tight as she could, tears pouring like rain from her reddening cheeks. She didn't want to see this. It was too horrible._

 _The black void shattered around her, falling like pieces of broken glass. Wind roared in Rin's ear. She opened her eyes slowly as the forest came back into view. There was no sign of Winda or the blood that had tainted Rin._

 _She fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around her. She could hear herself screaming, but didn't know if it was out of anger or despair. The wind around her started lashing out, cutting deep gashes into trees and boulders and everything else around._

 _Then Rin felt a sharp sting on the right side of her abdomen. She focused her gaze on it to see a freshly made cut. More sharp stings around her body put her on a mild alert as her eyes scanned the area for the assailant, but no one was there. A large gash formed on her back, and in that moment, it dawned on Rin what was happening._

 _The galeforce winds cut into her own body, splattering blood to the ground as she hugged herself. They were responding to the only wish that she hadn't even realized had made itself known. She gave into that wish, leaving the winds to tear her body up, deep lacerations forming all along her torso and exposed legs. She wanted to die._

 _"_ _Rin-chan!" She heard Kiba's voice, but kept her head buried between her legs as the slicing wind did it's job. She didn't care anymore. She was defeated. She felt strong arms wrap securely around her, lifting her off the ground. Her eyes drifted upward to Kiba's face, now mangled from the onslaught invisible blades. He was running, carrying her as fast as he could away from the place he'd found her, but try as he could, he had no hope of outrunning the wind._

 _Rin clamped her eyes shut again. She wanted to die, but she wasn't going to let one of her only remaining friends go down with her. She placed her hand on Kiba's chest, using her chakra to from a different jutsu. "Galeforce Armor, form." The air responded immediately, cloaking Kiba in the armor harder than steel._

 _Kiba, no longer feeling the sting of the blades, thought they were out of the woods, but when he looked down at Rin in his arm, he felt terror course through his veins. New cuts were still forming all over the small girl, her face was drenched in blood, her clothes shredding faster and faster by the second. She'd protected him, but she wasn't even trying to save herself. Kiba ran faster, launching himself into the air, his target in sight. He forced as much chakra as he could to the soles of his feet, kicking off a tree, sending himself and Rin hurling into a nearby pond._

 _Rin felt a rush of cold as her body sank into the pond's glistening waters. The many small, almost paper thin cuts soothed by the coolness of the pond's sparkling depths. She saw Kiba not to far away, swimming towards her as she floated underneath that water's surface, not even attempting to pull herself up._

 _She watched as her blood swirled like smoke into the water that surrounded her on every side. Her lungs began to burn for air, but she still floated helplessly to the pond's murky bed of mud at the bottom. She felt one of Kiba's hands wrap around her wrist, dragging her away from the watery grave has her consciousness began to fade._

 _"_ _ _GODDAMMIT!"Rin growled as Kiba and Akamaru zoomed past her. Her eyes could barely keep up with their movement's enough to dodge them, there was no hope for fighting back.__

 _"_ _ _Gonna have to be quicker than that, spitfire!" Kiba smirked at her in a teasing manner. He and Akamaru launched another Fang Passing Fang, narrowly missing Rin's body as she dodged again and again.__

 _ _An idea formed in Rin's head as she realized her clunky armor was weighing her down. "Galeforce Armor, PROPULSION!" She launched herself in the air, away from the speeding man and best duo. "Galeforce Armor, SHRAPNEL DISPERSION!" She cried, aiming the splintering armor in Kiba's general direction, cursing under her breath as both he and Akamaru dodged it effortlessly. 'I need to be faster!'__

 _ _Rin suddenly felt another armor form on her and she looked at her arms in confusion. The new armor felt much lighter than the previous one had. She watched in awe as tiny spikes began rippling out along the armor like a field of grass, each blade solidifying. Kiba was launching an attack at her from the ground and she dodged it without the slightest problem.__

 _ _Rin realized her new armor had given her just what she'd asked for. She loved how every time she asked, her galeforce always found a new addition for it's range of capabilities. It couldn't solve every problem for her, but it was certainly an adaptable skill.__

 _"_ _ _Galeforce Armor MK II, PROPULSION!" This new armor, being so much more fluent than the other, launched her to the ground like a lightning bolt. It was too late before she figured out that the speed increase had relinquished some of her control, and she collided with Kiba, smacking their heads together in the process.__

 _ _They both groaned, sitting up, rubbing their own respected foreheads in pain. "What the hell was that? A new self-sacrificing technique?" Kiba growled as tried to regain his bearings.__

 _"_ _ _Actually, I hadn't meant for that to happen," Rin groaned as as fit of laughter erupted from behind her. She turned so see her fiance laughing hysterically, holding her gut with both hands. "What the hell's so funny?!" Rin demanded as Winda approached her, kneeling beside her.__

 _"_ _ _Nothing, dear," Winda said, regaining some composure as she kissed the lump forming on Rin's head. "New jutsu?"__

 _ _Rin nodded, letting her lover's arms wrap around her in a comforting manner. "A lighter armor that increases my speed, but at the cost of some handling apparently." When another chuckle sounded from Winda, Rin shot her a playful glare. "Not funny."__

 _"_ _ _Aw, c'mon, I'm only teasing," Winda smirked, handing Rin back the ruby red bow staff that had been knocked out of her hand during the sparring session. "Galeforce Wind Tunnel seems to be coming along well, you were almost able to actually drag him."__

 _ _Rin stared at the staff in her fingers trying to be optimistic. "Yea, but for some reason this jutsu is becoming a lot harder to produce than any of my other ones. The last jutsu that was this hard to learn was Hurricane of Destruction."__

 _"_ _ _Yeah, but now you've developed Cyclonic Rapture," Kiba reminded her of the jutsu that had terrified even him. "I'm sure you'll be able to make this one work one way or another."__

 _"_ _ _Why are you developing so many jutsu?" Winda asked, helping Rin to her feet. "I thought you worked in a cafe now."__

 _"_ _ _Yea, but I can't let myself go because of that," Rin said, dusting herself off. "I mean, I hope the day never comes when I actually do have to fight again, but heaven forbid it does, I want to be able to. If I don't keep training and pushing the boundaries on my abilities, I'll end up not being able to do a thing."__

 _"_ _ _Yeah," Kiba chimed in. "If, say, Sunagakure were to ever attack again, having a badass wind-style user on our side could play to our advantage!"__

 _ _Rin and Winda both shot him a death glare and he felt like he was suddenly the smallest of the trio. "Too soon," The lovers both growled in unison.__

 _"_ _ _Well, come in the house, I have lunch already made up for my three brave warriors." Winda said, leading Rin by the hand into the house. They all took a seat at the dining room table and Winda helped Akamaru onto said table.__

 _ _Rin couldn't believe her eyes as she gazed around at the plates her fiance had whipped up in such a short time. Kiba's plate had a rare slab of some form of beef, Rin's bowl was overflowing with ramen, and Akamaru had what appeared to be diced chicken. Rin's mouth watered as she thought about each flavor. "Man, can my snow angel cook!"__

 _"_ _ _Save some room for desert," Winda whispered in Rin's ear as she began devouring the ramen in front of her. "I hear rabbit is on the menu." This caused Rin to nearly choke on the ramen she'd been shoveling into her mouth.__

 _ _She slurped up a noodle that was dangling from her lips before turning to meet Winda's loving gaze. "Have I ever told you that I love you?" Rin asked with a smile.__

 _"_ _ _Once or twice," Winda giggled making her way back to the kitchen sink. "But it's always nice to hear."__

 _Rin awoke to find Kiba's face over her. She felt something cool and moist against her left cheek, noting the smoothing strokes the muscles in Kiba's arms told her he was making. When he pulled his hand away to dip it in a bowl of water, Rin saw the cloth wound around Kiba's fingers, realizing he was washing away the dried blood that now clung to her face._

 _Nothing around the apartment she seemed to be familiar with stirred, save for Kiba's tender ministrations. It took a minute to place, but Rin soon came to recognize the light blue of Kiba's walls. The scent of the Inuzuka's animalistic nature wafted around her and she quickly sprang into a sitting position before wincing in pain._

 _"_ _Told you we should have tired her down," The feminine voice was cold and Rin looked for it's source, spotting a kunoichi with white eyes. Eyes like Hinata's. Her eyes scanned over the short girl before her, noting her black hair, and a particularly angry look shot it Rin's direction._

 _"_ _Hanabi-chan, I told you she'd freak more if we had done so. At least this way she might not attack us so eagerly." Kiba relented, trying to push Rin back to the bed._

 _She was going to attack him alright. She slammed her head against his as hard as she could, given the awkward position she'd been in between half laying down and half sitting up. She was happy to see Kiba stumble backwards, hand covering the eye Rin's forehead had made contact with._

 _"_ _How fucking dare you bring me back here?!" Rin growled as she tried to summon her wind, but it never came. She tried again, but failed._

 _"_ _That's useless," Hanabi informed her in an even tone. "I have caused for your keirakukei to be temporarily disabled. You aren't going to be harnessing any chakra, let alone casting jutsu, for at least another hour."_

 _"_ _You did what?!" Rin spat ready to launch an attack on Hanabi before Kiba appeared behind her, grabbing her wrist, pulling each arm to the opposite side of her in a straight jacket hold._

 _"_ _It was the only way to stop your wind from dicing us to shreds!" Kiba tried to reason with the girl, dodging another headbutt. "We had to do something!"_

 _"_ _I had it under control!" Rin growled at the man, struggling in his grip. She'd forgotten how physically powerful Kiba had been. He'd always taken it easy on her when they had sparred, but he certainly wasn't now as he held her in the hopeless position without much effort whilst she thrashed in his grip._

 _"_ _Does this look like you had it under control, or were you actually attempting to kill yourself?!" Kiba growled angrily, forcing Rin to look in the mirror that stretched it's way over his long, gray dresser._

 _Her breath caught as she gazed upon her mutilated figure. Barely any bit of flesh was still intact. She saw the deep gashes across her bare chest. Numerous cuts inflamed the skin on her neck. Scratches were strewn all across the face she barely recognized staring back at her in the mirror. She hadn't known the impact of the damage until just now._

 _"_ _I wanted to die..." Rin said quietly, slumping against Kiba's sturdy frame. "I saw Winda-chan. It was horrible. Blood covered the ground and threatened to drown me. I wanted to die."_

 _Kiba's grip around Rin's wrists loosened, letting her arms fall from his fingers. It was a theory he'd come to accept, but actually hearing the words broke him inside. "Winda-chan wouldn't want that, Rin-chan."_

 _"_ _Is this the part where you tell me I have to keep living, otherwise I'm disgracing the sacrifice she made for me?" Rin spun into Kiba, glaring at him with tear filled eyes. "If so, I've heard that speech quite enough!"_

 _"_ _No," Kiba said, wrapping his arms around Rin in a tight hug. "This is where I tell you that Winda-chan loved you more than life itself, and it would break her heart to see you so defeated."_

 _Rin melted into Kiba's embrace as she sobbed. Finally somebody who wasn't scolding her. Somebody who actually knew Winda and could tell Rin what she needed to hear. Between the meaningless sex and the numbing alcohol Rin had forgotten what her lover would do to make everything all better, but Kiba knew._

 _'He's right,' Winda chimed in Rin's head. 'I'm not angry with you, I just can't stand to see you doing this to yourself.'_

 _'I miss you so much,' Rin finally allowed herself to admit something she'd refused to until now. 'You left me here alone. You were the one I needed... you left me as I always feared you would.'_

 _'You're not alone, Rin-chan.' Winda reminded her as Rin looked up at Kiba whose brotherly gaze radiated all over Rin's tiny body. 'You're never alone.'_

 _The voice in Rin's head always seemed to know exactly what to say, even if Rin fought against it. Even at her darkest hour it was there, trying to coax her back into the light that had long since faded from Rin's life._

 _"_ _Thank you, Kiba-kun." Rin sobbed as she buried her face into the man's chest once more. "Thank you, so much."_

 _"_ _You're welcome, now rest." Kiba said soothingly, easing her back to the bed. Rin hadn't noticed it, but at some point during their arguing, Hanabi had left without saying a word as the room was now empty except for Kiba and herself. "I'll be right back."_

 _Kiba closed the door to his room as he stepped into the hall, his heart nearly jumping out of his chest when the even voiced Hyuuga revealed he wasn't alone. "She's a liability." Hanabi warned him in a cold voice. "Why are we hiding her from the jounin?"_

 _"_ _She had a minor slip up," Kiba wrote off Hanabi's warning as if she were a child who didn't understand the situation. "I'm sure it won't happen again."_

 _"_ _After what you told me she did to Kaliyuga, I can't believe you still think she can be saved." Hanabi pushed herself off the wall she'd been leaning against, placing herself directly in front of Kiba. "She enjoyed mutilating that woman. That sounds like a rogue to me, and a sadistic one at that."_

 _"_ _What would you have me do? Report her so they can throw her in prison?"_

 _"_ _For starters."_

 _"_ _I won't." Kiba growled at Hanabi, a fierce protection welling up in him. "She's not a psychopath that enjoys inflicting pain. She's a young woman whose lost her wife. Do you have no shred of sympathy?"_

 _"_ _Not for the girl who killed my father." Hanabi met Kiba's angry look with her own, causing him to falter a bit in shock. "It doesn't take much deliberating to figure it out, Kiba-sama. My father was shredded like paper from the inside out. Rin-sama has a staggering control over wind and a frightening imagination on how to utilize it. I'm only keeping quiet because you told me this has something to do with Hinata-chan's death. It would be foolish for you to think, even for a mere second that I'm on your side."_

 _Kiba had left out a crucial detail when explaining the situation to Hanabi. He wasn't sure how to inform her on exactly why Hiashi had become Rin's target. She deserved to know, but he didn't know if he was cruel enough to tell her. "Come with me," Kiba said, finally deciding Hanabi had been kept in the dark for too long._

 _They made their way down the stairs to the empty kitchen, sitting at a small table opposite of one another. As Kiba looked upon the fierce expression up Hanabi's face, he realized she wasn't a little girl. Her father had erased any mental traces of the child she may have been once._

 _"_ _Hiashi was the person who ordered the assassination of Temari-chan." Kiba explained in a tone barely louder than a whisper. "Hinata-chan and Temari-chan were in a relationship that your father didn't approve of."_

 _"_ _There's no way Hinata-chan would lay with that murderer from Sunagakure!" Hanabi protested._

 _"_ _Neji was not a noble man," Kiba relented, deciding Hanabi was mature enough to hear the truth. "He had raped Hinata-chan repeatedly. Temari-chan killed Neji to protect Hinata-chan."_

 _"_ _You're lying," Hanabi spat, the speed of her standing, causing the chair behind her to flip on it's back. "How dare you attempt to spread such lies of my departed cousin?!"_

 _"_ _It's true," Rin interjected, coming down the stairs in one of Kiba's t-shirts that was so over sized it covered her entire torso, ending just above her knees. "Your cousin was a sick man." She said harshly._

 _"_ _Why would I believe the sociopath who murdered my father?" Hanabi glared at the redhead as she made her way to them, taking a seat on Kiba's knee._

 _"_ _Because Hinata-chan told me herself."_

 _"_ _I know you THINK you can speak to spirits of the departed, but..."_

 _"_ _I can show you," Rin stated boldly, getting a confused expression from Kiba. "Turn my chakra back on, and accept my ability, and I can show you."_

 _"_ _Or you'll attack the last surviving member of the only clan that can stop you." Hanabi shouted, narrowing her eyes at Rin in hatred. "I may be young, but I am not that gullible."_

 _"_ _Hanabi-chan, do you wish to see Hinata-chan again?" Rin asked in a soothing tone, catching the young Hyuuga off guard. "I can bring her here if you wish, but only if I have my chakra."_

 _Hanabi grumbled, her fist starting to glow with the illumination of physically manifested chakra. All logic and reasoning warned her it was a bad idea, but her desire to see her sister again was proving to be too great. She blinked her eyes to activate her Byakugan and set to work, pushing at the nodes she could now see in Rin's body, letting the wind witch wield her chakra again._

 _Rin felt her chakra rush through her like a wave, but she quickly regained control over it before it could cause any more galeforces to form. She closed her eyes, reaching out to the spirit realm she hadn't allowed herself to feel in over a month, dragging Hinata into her world._

 _"_ _It's been too long, Rin-chan," Hinata scolded as she materialized in the kitchen, barefoot._

 _"_ _Yes, it has, Hinata-chan." Rin said quietly._

 _Hanabi whipped her head around from side to side at the mention of her sister's name only to find nothing had changed. "Who is she talking to?" Hanabi hissed at Kiba. "I don't see Hinata-chan anywhere."_

 _Hinata gazed longingly at her younger sister, racking her mind for a way to get through to the hard headed girl. She was about to give up hope when a thought occurred to her and she instructed Rin on how to approach the situation._

 _Rin's hand fell on Hanabi's dark hair soflty, ruffling it a bit as she smiled warmly at the girl who only glared back. "Stop acting so tough, Hanabi-chan. You don't have to be so guarded with me."_

 _Hanabi felt her eyes leaking as her sister's words entered her brain. She watched with a hitched breath as Hinata's radiant smile came into view. There was no mistaking that smile, and Hanabi couldn't look away from it. The glimmer in her sister's eyes was undoubtedly familiar. "This has to be some form of Genjutsu..." Hanabi breathed._

 _"_ _It isn't, Hanabi-chan. It's me."_


	18. Chapter 18 : Casual Sex

_Hanabi couldn't help the tears that broke through her steely resolve. Her sister's voice tugged at her heartstrings, tearing her apart from the inside. She couldn't believe how, after nearly five years of silent remorse she could now gaze upon her sister's beauty in all it's majesty._

 _"_ _Hinata-chan!" The cry came out much more choked and mangled than Hanabi would have preferred as she shuffled to her sister slowly. She felt the comfort of her sisters presence, finally accepting the older sibling before her was not an illusion. "I've missed you so much."_

 _"_ _I have missed you as well, Hanabi-chan." Hinata smiled at the spitting image of her at that age. She wished dearly to wrap her arms around the sobbing Hanabi to comfort her, but Rin's gift wouldn't permit physical interaction between the dead and the living, save for Rin herself._

 _"_ _Is it true, what they're saying about Neji-kun?" Hanabi asked bluntly. She didn't want to believe it, but if Hinata herself confirmed, Hanabi would have to accept the cruel reality. She looked deep into Hinata's eyes, hoping she was going to deny it, but something told Hanabi she wasn't going to be that lucky._

 _"_ _Yes, Hanabi-chan, it's true. Neji did rape me." Hinata relented, casting glare a glare at Rin who shook her head, pointing to Kiba. Hinata was in no mood for the blame game. Admitting something like that to her baby sister was not a memory Hinata would come to hold dear._

 _Hanabi nodded in understanding. "And father? He ordered the assassination of your lover?"_

 _"_ _Yes," Hinata spoke begrudgingly. "I was merely collateral damage."_

 _Hanabi nodded again, shuffling her feet a bit. Every time Hinata was around Hanabi's cold, calculative exterior broke down and she became a helpless little girl again. She loved and hated that Hinata had this effect on her, but her big sister always knew what to say to make the pain go away. She always knew just what to do to take Hanabi's mind off any wounds. It was empowering and humiliating all at once._

 _"_ _Hinata-chan, should I trust Rin-sama?"_

 _"_ _It's Rin-chan to you," Rin smiled brightly at the younger Hyuuga._

 _The radiant grin that spread over Hinata's face already told Hanabi everything she needed to know. "Yes, Hanabi-chan, she may be headstrong and not fully matured yet, but you can trust Rin-chan. She is is a good person," Hinata looked from her sister to the redhead and her grin grew into a warming smile, "and one hell of a friend."_

 _Kiba, who up to this point had remained silent for the happy reunion, wrapped his arms around Hanabi. He meant it as a comforting gesture, but her elbow in his rib cage reminded him exactly who he was dealing with, and he slowly backed away._

 _"_ _Ya know, I was only trying to make you feel better." Kiba snorted, opening the rusty fridge he'd bought from a junk yard. He reached in, producing rice balls that he had prepared before treating Rin's wounds._

 _Kiba made his way to the microwave, reheating his creation, before turning back to the girls. "It's late. Hanabi-chan..." Kiba thought about that for a second. He lived in a one bedroom apartment. There was no way the three of them were sharing a bed together, especially not his double sized one. "You and Rin-chan take the bedroom, I'll sleep on the couch."_

 _The pair nodded as the microwave's bell rung, alerting them that the food was done. Kiba pulled the small tray from the heated cavern of the machine, resting it on the table, helping himself to two of the six rice balls. He'd swallowed both of his whole before either girl had even taken a bite._

 _After about an hour of chit-chat between the sisters, Rin could feel the woozy sensation crawling up her spine. She knew she had to break the connection, but looking at the pair, she didn't want to. She wanted them to be able to be happy for as long as possible, but once dot's began to blur her vision she quickly let them know it was time. "Out of chakra. I'll see you later Hinata-chan."_

 _"_ _Bye, Hinata-chan." Hanabi waved to her sister as she faded from view. "Thank you, Rin-chan." Hanabi's even, almost monotone voice had returned to it's former glory and Rin had to hold back a laugh. What a one-eighty so quickly._

 _The girls said goodnight to Kiba, who only mumbled back to them from the couch, making their way back up the slightly spiraling, carpeted staircase, to the room they were to share for the night. Once inside Rin crawled into the large bed, pulling a blue comforter over her as Hanabi stripped to nothing._

 _"_ _Are you going to sleep like that?" Rin asked, eyeing Hanabi curiously as she slowly approached the mirror on Kiba's dresser in the center of the right wall. She had to admit Hanabi was beautiful, but she was unsure about what to think about her sleeping nude._

 _Hanabi looked into the mirror as she pulled a brush through her silky, long, black hair. "Will that be a problem?" Her even tone and unreadable eyes focused on Rin with a questioning glance._

 _"_ _Not at all..." Rin held her composure long enough to not stammer as she spat out the sentence. She decided it was best not to think about it when Hanabi spoke again, freezing her in her place._

 _"_ _Do you wish to bed me, Rin-chan?" Hanabi asked in the same monotone she'd addressed everything. She stood, facing Rin so that the blushing redhead could get a good view of the Hyuuga girl's toned body._

 _"_ _Um... what?" Rin asked skiddishly as she shifted uncomfortably under the gaze Hanabi now cast upon her. She averted her eyes from the young Hyuuga, but the kept drifting back to where they'd started._

 _"_ _Do you wish to have sexual intercourse with me?" Hanabi asked again, still monotones as her perceptive eyes studied the redhead before her carefully._

 _"_ _What kind of a question is that?" Rin asked pulling the blanket she'd been tugging at over her head. "You are too young to ask such things!"_

 _"_ _I am fourteen years of age, above the legal age of consent." Hanabi informed her as Rin's head crept out from under the blanket once again, eyeing her skeptically. "So I pose the question again, do you..."_

 _"_ _I know the question," Rin interjected, not believing Hanabi about her age, as Hanabi was shorter than Rin. "I mean, you're good looking I guess."_

 _"_ _That wasn't the question I had asked, Rin-chan." Hanabi stated, deadpan. She narrowed her eyes at the redheaded wind user, growing weary of the games Rin was playing to dance around the subject instead of addressing it._

 _Rin slid out of bed, meeting Hanabi toe to toe, still unable to grasp the idea of someone not much younger than she being shorter than herself. "Do you?"_

 _Hanabi nodded quietly. "I'm not looking for a relationship or anything of the sort," Hanabi explained, meeting Rin's lustful gaze that was growing hungrier with each passing moment. "I'm sure this will be a one time thing, but after speaking with my sister on the matter, I'd like to try to mate with a female, and you seem to be the prime candidate. If Hinata-chan trusts you, then I can too."_

 _Rin didn't waste another second, throwing Hanabi's already naked body to the bed before sliding over her, wedging a knee between the younger girl's legs. The shy Rin from only moments ago had been replaced by her carnal variant. One that was focused on a single goal as her mouth clashed down on the Hyuuga's passionately, her tongue slipping through Hanabi's lips, dominating her mouth, making sure Hanabi knew who the submissive partner was to be._

 _"_ _If this is to be a one night stand," Rin's evil voice tickled at Hanabi's ear causing the white-eyed girl's breath to hitch. "Let's make it interesting." Hanabi felt the cool steel of a kunai blade against her throat and began asking herself what she'd gotten herself into._

 _XxX_

 _Kankuro paced the office of the Hokage's quarters, eagerly awaiting the Hokage's return. When the blonde woman finally had come back, Kankuro was out of breath. "What is the meaning of this, Kankuro-kun?" Tsunade demanded, falling into her couch against the wall._

 _"_ _Rin-chan," Kankuro stated dryly. "I wish to know her current location."_

 _"_ _I have been well briefed on your relationship with that kunoichi," Tsunade glared at Kankuro through half lidded eyes. "I will not allow you to whisk her back to Sunagakure against her will. She has taken residence in Konohagakure for what appears to be almost four years, heirgo, she is officially a member of my village, you have no claim to her."_

 _"_ _I wish only to see how she is doing, Tsunade-sama." Kankuro tried to explain to the woman who seemed ten seconds from throwing him out of her office. "As you know, she is supposed to be Kazekage, a title very few shinobi have ever achieved, I wish to know what caused her to walk away from that."_

 _"_ _Kankuro-kun, allow me to ask, why does it matter?" Tsunade prompted, tapping her pointer finger against her bottom lip. "If Rin-chan did not want to be Kazekage, how would knowing her reasonings be of value?"_

 _Kankuro had forgotten how perceptive and cunning Tsunade was. He should have known better than to try to run a con on the Hokage, but the information he wanted was just within reach. He couldn't turn back when he'd gotten so close. "Curiosity." He stated blankly, but Tsunade saw right through the lie._

 _"_ _You are not a curious man, Kankuro-kun. You can't lie your way into my chambers and expect me to believe a world you have to say. Leave Rin-chan be. Let her walk her own path instead of the one others have been forcing upon her. She is young yet, but she has proven fully capable of handling herself."_

 _"_ _You don't know where she is either, do you?" Kankuro asked as the realization became so clear. "If you had the information, you wouldn't be bringing up her ability to care for herself."_

 _"_ _It's true," Tsunade smirked at the young Kazekage feeling there may be some hope for him yet. "I know not of her whereabouts, though, in full disclosure, I wish I did. We found a body of an assassin I believe you'll find very intriguing. The file is there on my desk. You may look through it if you want, though I warn you, it's very graphic."_

 _Kankuro looked at the cluttered desk in bewilderment. Stacks of papers strewn all over the place, ninja tools piercing the wooden frame, books and folders tossed about carelessly. He was about to give up when a red folder marked ANBU caught his eye. After a confirming nod from Tsunade, Kankuro opened it and was overcome with the urge to vomit at the sight he beheld._

 _He saw what appeared to be a female, though the blood and entrails thrown haphazardly around the carcass made it hard to distinguish. He flipped through the file, noting the remarks on Wind-style jutsu and the unedited details of the damage the body had undergone before death._

 _"_ _This cannot be Rin-chan." Kankuro breathed as he gazed in horror at the photos again. "She isn't capable of this kind of..."_

 _"_ _Brutality?" Tsunade asked, rising from the couch, taking the file from Kankuro's fingers. "I wouldn't have thought so either, but then I discovered that body a month ago and she's the only wind user anywhere near Konohagakure. That crime scene was approximately 15 kilometers away. Like it or not, Rin-chan has changed."_

 _"_ _So you're only looking for her to arrest her?" Kankuro asked angrily._

 _"_ _Not at all," Tsunade stated with a casual laugh. "Quite the opposite, actually. I wish to aide her. Losing her wife could not have been easy on her, and now this. She's losing her grip on reality fast, and the longer she is out there, the worse she will get."_

 _"_ _I'm sorry, did you just say wife? Rin-chan was married? To a woman?" Kankuro tried very hard to wrap his mind around this new information. He'd never thought she'd found someone else, that she'd eventually return to him when she was ready. The sympathetic look on Tsunade's face was almost patronizing in it's empathy._

 _"_ _I'm sorry you had to find out this way, Kankuro-kun, but yes. Rin-chan was married. Her wife's name was Winda-chan, who died protecting her."_

 _Kankuro fell into the chair on the guest's side of the Hokage's desk, reeling from information overload. Rin had been in Konohagakure. That was how Shikamaru had always been able to give Kankuro clues to her health. She'd married. She'd left Sunagakure and him behind._

 _"_ _We need to find her," Kankuro declared, focusing his steely eyes on Tsunade's_

 _"_ _Kankuro-kun, I already told yo..."_

 _"_ _Not for me, Tsunade-sama. We need to find her to save her"_

 _"_ _From what?"_

 _"_ _The monster she's becoming."_

 _XxX_

 _Rin's emerald eyes cracked open, groaning at the sunlight shining directly upon them. She groaned, rolling over, and was about to close her eyes when something yanked her out of bed by the ankle._

 _"_ _Oh no ya don't," came the voice of a very angry Hinata. Rin looked down, seeing Hinata's eyes ablaze with a fury she'd never known the Hyuuga girl could possess. "You slept with my little sister?!"_

 _"_ _H-h-hinata-chan... I-I-I..." Rin stammered, trying to kick her left ankle out of the clearly upset Hinata's grasp. "I can explain!"_

 _"_ _You slept with my innocent teenaged little sister!" Hinata growled loudly, pinning Rin to the ground. "How dare you, Rin-chan?!"_

 _"_ _It wasn't her idea." Hanabi said quiety, the commotion waking her up. "It was mine."_

 _"_ _She's the older between you two, she should have known better!" Hinata screamed_

 _"_ _So you can have a girlfriend, but I cannot?" Hanabi asked, tapping her foot on the ground, causing a look of confusion to appear on both Hinata's and Rin's face. "That is awfully hypocritical of you, Hinata-chan."_

 _"_ _G-g-g-girlfriend?" Rin and Hinata stuttered in unison._

 _"_ _Yes," Hanabi said, kneeling beside the duo on the floor. "Now will you please let my girlfriend go?"_

 _Hinata pushed herself from Rin's body, gazing skeptically at the two. "Rin-chan, is this true? Have you taken my sister as your girlfriend?"_

 _Rin's eyes darted between Hinata's scrutinizing one's and Hanabi's that were telling her to just go with it. "Y-yeah, I certainly did... it wasn't a one night stand or anything, nope, we're a couple now. Hehe...he...he" Rin rambled, knowing that she wasn't at all convincing._

 _"_ _Well," Hinata said as a smile curled up her lips. "I am happy for you both, neither one of you could have found a better partner."_

 _"_ _Yeah, thanks. Now can we get some alone time?" Hanabi asked, casting a very hinting look to Hinata who nodded in agreement._

 _"_ _I'll be on my way then." Hinata said as she faded into nothingness._

 _Rin awkwardly waved goodbye to her before turning to Hanabi in confusion. "Girlfriend? I thought that was a one time thing!" She asked, climbing to her feet. "I am not ready for anyth..."_

 _"_ _Relax, Rin-chan. I only said that so she'd calm down, she would have torn your throat out otherwise. I told you last night I don't wish to start a relationship." Hanabi stated, dressing herself in her black kimono and fishnets. "I also said I was sure it would be a one time occurrence, nothing on that front was made definite." Hanabi reminded her as she made her way out of the room, leaving Rin in stunned confusion, made even more confusing by the small smile Rin would have sworn played upon the young Hyuuga's lips_

 _"_ _Is Rin-chan awake?" Kiba asked as Hanabi appeared in the stairwell._

 _"_ _Yes, she is." Hanabi said, nodding. "Would you like me to fetch her?"_

 _Kiba caught a whiff of something in the air and immediately entered overprotective brother mode. "You smell like Rin-chan, is there anything you'd like to tell me?"_

 _"_ _That is to be expected, seeing that I slept in the same bed as her." Hanabi shrugged as Rin came down the stairs in t-shirt of Kiba's that Hanabi hadn't torn to shreds._

 _Kiba's eyes darted from Hanabi to Rin and back as the truth ran over him like a heard of stampeding elephants. "You two slept together?"_

 _"_ _Yeah, you were the one who suggested it, Kiba-kun," Rin chuckled, trying to play it cool. "Remember?"_

 _"_ _Don't play innocent with me, Rin-chan." Kiba glared. "How could you sleep with Hinata-chan's sister?"_

 _"_ _Because I instigated her lustful desires," Hanabi stated, deadpan. "Why is everybody making such a big deal out of this? It was just sex."_

 _"_ _The age thing might be a good reason." Kiba groaned, falling back onto the couch with his hand over his eyes. "This is bad."_

 _"_ _No it isn't. Hinata-chan believes Rin-chan and I to be a couple, and you're GOING to support that story." Hanabi warned as she poured herself a bowl of shredded wheat cereal._

 _"_ _How can I do so?"_

 _"_ _Because I'm coming with you guys to hunt the assassins." Hanabi declared, taking a bite of her cereal._


End file.
